The Promise
by Damry Hawke
Summary: Goku and Vegeta are sworn enemies, until Goku's little sister falls in love with him. Goku learns to look at Vegeta differently as he slowly transforms.


~*~Disclaimer~*~  
  
If I owned any of the characters in this story, I would be a very rich girl. And I'm not. I do, however, own Damry. So please dont take her or anything, m'kay? Gracias and enjoy!  
  
  
  
Damry kicked her feet up on the small table in front of her, resting her arms behind her head as she closed her tired blue eyes, welcoming the rest. A few strands of hair managed to slip out from her loose pony, drooping slightly from the heat and the day's exhaustions. She would go home as soon as she had gotten her energy back. She breathed deeply, her mind slowly relaxing as her aching muscles released their tension. She ignored the blood crusting on her lip and the throbbing in her left shoulder. For the time being, nothing could bother her. Not even the sound of Goku taking on his next challenger outside. Soon, the hopeful contender would have their ego crushed and would join her inside to rest. Damry yawned, a smile spreading across her cracked lips, and fell into a deep, relaxed sleep.  
  
Just outside, Vegeta stood tall before Goku, who was still recovering from his previous spars. He had already taken down Krillin and Trunks, but now it was time for the hard stuff. They both powered up, a yellow glow consuming the two super saiyans. Vegeta grinned. Goku didn't intimidate him one bit, despite the fact he knew that he stood no chance against him. He almost looked foreword to his spars with Goku, though he'd never admit it.  
  
"I hope you're all stocked up on sinzu beans because you will need them when I am through with you, Kakkarot," Vegeta yelled with assurance in his tone. Goku only smiled in return. He was about to lunge at the shorter saiyan when something else caught his attention. The two dropped their smiles and returned to their normal power levels, staring at each other blankly. After a few moments, they were sure of what they had smelled. Before anything could be said, they took off running into the house, straight into the kitchen where Chichi was pulling something out of the oven.  
  
The sound of the two saiyans bursting into the house did not wake the still slumbering Damry. Trunks entered the house almost as quickly as his father, but stopped when he saw Damry. A soft smile came over his face and he kneeled beside the couch, then softly shook her arm. Her eyes fluttered open and rested on Trunks's eyes. She smiled in return and sat up with a yawn. "Is it dinner time already?" she asked, streaching her sore arms.  
  
Trunks nodded, then offered a hand to help her up. "It smells pretty good, too. We had better get in there fast before those other guys eat it all!"  
  
Damry laughed a little. She took his hand willingly and he pulled her up. Ever since Trunks arrived in his time machine, they had always been close, despite their age difference. Damry was ten years older, but that didn't shade her beauty. Her long blonde hair was always perfect, even when she was sparring. Her eyes were the most magnificent shade of blue that Trunks had ever seen. She could get away with anything with those eyes. Goku had raised Damry ever since they were sent to Earth. Their sibling bond was strong and always healthy, even if they had little tiffs every now and then. Goku had always been protective of his baby sister. She was a tom boy, as much as every man who ever saw her regretted it. Everyone knew that Goku had never introduced her to dresses or makeup for the sole purpose of keeping her away from men. Goku was her mother, her father, and her brother all in one. It was a respectable role, and Damry looked up to him for it.  
  
By the time the two got into the kitchen, Vegeta and Goku were already sitting at the table stuffing their faces full of meat and vegetables. "No, no need to wait for us, go ahead guys!" Damry said sarcastically, patting Goku on the shoulder. She reached over his shoulder to steal a bean from his plate, but Goku was too fast for her. He grabbed her hand and started squeezing, never looking up or stopping the quick cleaning of his plate.  
  
"Goku, cut it out! That really hurts!" Damry whimpered, pulling at her hand. Goku still didn't look up. Vegeta snickered under his breath and Trunks shook his head while Chichi filled his plate. "Goku, I'm not kidding! You're gonna break my hand! Come on, you know you're stronger than me! Goku! Owww!"  
  
After finishing his last bite, Goku released her hand and smiled at her as if nothing had happened. Damry went flying back into the refrigorator and clutched her aching hand. Chichi glared at Goku and he smiled innocently before reaching for a slice of pie. Vegeta cleared his plate and walked out of the kitchen without a word. Trunks sat down with his plate full of food, placing another one across from him for Damry. She slumped down in her chair, hiding her hand form her brother's reach, and started devouring her food.  
  
"Aww, don't be so sore about it, Damry! You know I was just kidding around with you!" Goku pleaded, pulling a chair backwards right next to her and starting in on his dessert. He put his free hand around her shoulders and gave her a sad puppy look.  
  
"You don't know your own strength! You already gave me the worst beating of my life this afternoon, you could go a little easy on me when we're inside!" Damry's eyes narrowed at Goku's pathetic attempt to get back on her good side. Goku released her with a sigh, then collected all the remaining crumbs and pie filling on his fork. Once he finished, he kissed Damry on the cheek, then stood up to deliver his clean plate to his wife and kiss her cheek as well.  
  
Trunks had already started in on his pie before Damry had even finished her meat. He watched her push her vegetables around on her plate, making shapes and faces. Then she dropped her fork all together with a unnessecarily audible sigh. Trunks watched with worried eyes. "What's bothering you, Damry? Don't let Goku get to you, he's just being a big brother."  
  
"No, it's not that, I know Goku is just having fun. He would never hurt me." Damry took a sip of her water, then stared at the ice cubes in her glass dance around.  
  
"Then what is it?" Trunks asked, not wanting to pry, but hoping he could be of some help.  
  
"I don't know, I'm just tired, I guess." With that, she stood up with her plate and handed it to Chichi who was still washing plates from the first round of eaters.  
  
She gave her a confused look. "Damry, you barely touched your food!" Chichi felt her forehead. "You are a bit warm, and flushed. You should get some rest!"  
  
Damry shrugged and was on her way out of the kitchen when Trunks grabbed her hand. "We'll talk later, okay?" Damry nodded, smiling to herself. It was nice to be surrounded by people that cared.  
  
Vegeta was sitting on the couch with his feet kicked up on the table watching TV. She walked in his direction, the TV sounding pretty appealing at the time. She tapped Vegeta's feet, which were blocking her access to the other side of the couch. He looked up at her with a confused look as if he didn't know what she wanted. "Move!" she ordered.  
  
"So demanding!" Vegeta responded. "Well, sorry to dissappoint you, but I don't take orders from anyone! Especially not you!"  
  
Damry's eves narrowed. She was grumpy enough as it was, and she didn't need Vegeta's attitude to send her father down the tunnel. With a frusturated growl, she stepped over his feet and planted herself on the couch, kicking her feet up next to Vegeta's and crossing her arms. After a minute of silence, she reached for the remote. At the exact same time, Vegeta's hand grabbed the other side of the remote. Damry gave it a little tug, which Vegeta repeated. "Vegeta, come on! We're not watching the news! Give me the remote!"  
  
"Well I'm not going to watch your little soap operas or whatever you women watch! The news is important! It's real! A long lost twin brother murdering some ex-girlfriend with amnesia is not my idea of important!" Vegeta pulled the remote harder, but Damry would have none of it.  
  
"For your information, there is a documentary on that I have been wanting to see for weeks, so why don't you go watch your own TV and let me watch mine!"  
  
"There can't possibly be a documentary more important than the news! Why don't you just go play with your dolls or something!"  
  
Damry had had enough. She jumped up, pulling on the remote with both hands. "I've never owned a doll in my life! And if you want to know what the weather will be like tomorrow, just wait a few hours then walk outside! How hard can that be?"  
  
Vegeta snickered at the strain in her voice. He was holding on with both hands now. He knew better than to doubt her strength, even if she was a woman. She was a saiyan just like him, and a strong one at that. Then, Vegeta got an idea. He smiled evily. "Well, if you must watch your precious documentary, then..." His grip on the remote was released and Damry went flying backwards straight into the wall, causing it to crack under the force. "...be my guest!" Vegeta finished, dusting his hands off and standing up, ready to head home.  
  
Damry growled under her breath. There was no way Vegeta was going to walk away from her now. Before he knew what hit him, Damry charged at him and knocked him down. She landed directly on top of him, pinning his arms to the floor. Vegeta winced a little, then retaliated by rolling over so that he had her arms and legs pinned down, his face hovering only inches from hers. "Nice try," he said menacingly. Damry struggled under his grip, to no avail. He only smirked more.  
  
Damry finally gave in. She sighed and stopped trying to get out of Vegeta's kung-fu grip. To her surprise, he didn't release her. His smirk had faded into a soft smile and his eyes were locked on hers. Damry's heart started pounding again, getting more and nervous as his face slowly got closer to hers. Their eyes slowly started to close and their lips were about to touch when Trunks walked out of the kitchen, almost stepping on the two saiyans sprawled out on the floor.  
  
"Whoa, I thought I heard something!" Trunks said, pulling his father off of Damry. "Father, you can never pass up the opportunity to fight, can you? Well, Damry's sick, take it easy on her!" Once Vegeta was up, he leaned against the wall with his arms crossed and head down. Trunks helped Damry up. "Damry, you're flushed...I thought you were going to bed!"  
  
She shook her head and crossed her arms. "I was just gonna catch some TV..."  
  
Trunks glanced over to the TV, spotting the crack in the wall. "Well, we had better leave before Chichi sees that wall and rips all of our heads off. Damry, I wish you the best of luck!" He reached out and put a reassuring hand on her shoulder, then ushered his dad out the front door. "Get well soon, Damry! I'll see you tomorrow!" he said as he was leaving. Vegeta glanced over his shoulder before closing the door behind him, giving Damry a smirk and a 'Hmmph!'  
  
Damry rolled her eyes and walked over to the TV to switch it off. Before she made it over, Chichi walked out of the kitchen. "Damry, you're supposed to be in-" she stopped to gasp when she saw the wall. Damry slowly backed up towards the door, but the look on Chichi's face when she turned to her meant business. "What is that, Damry?!"  
  
Damry shuffled her feet and looked down. "Why, what ever are you talking about, Chichi?"  
  
"THERE IS A CRACK IN MY WALL!" She closed her eyes to find her happy place, then opened them when she was ready to be civil. "Damry, I respect you more than any of the men that come in and out of this house every day, but please tell me that you are not insane enough to fight with Vegeta inside!"  
  
"Well, if I told you that I didn't put that crack there, I'd be lying. But Vege-"  
  
"I don't care how it happened," Chichi interrupted. "the point is, you will not be going out with the men tomorrow, you are going to be here helping me fix this wall!"  
  
Damry's heart melted. She loved fishing with everyone on the weekends! It was her favorite part of the week! "Aww, but Chichi, come on!"  
  
"Damry, this is your responsibility!" She waved a finger at the pouting Damry.  
  
Damry frowned. "This might be your house, but you're not that much older than me, you know! What makes you think you can order me around?"  
  
"Because I order everyone around!" Chichi screeched, leaving it at that. She turned swiftly on her heel and headed to her room. Damry grumbled something to herself and retreated to her own room.  
  
She slipped her torn and burned gi off and dropped it to the floor, then picked up some flannel pants and a tank top. After slipping that on, she headed to the bathroom. She brushed her teeth routinely, then splashed some water on her face. She grabbed her brush and ran it through her long hair a few times, then stared at herself in the mirror. For the first time, she was seeing herself as a woman and not a saiyan. She set the brush down and rested her arms on the counter. Her mind drifted to Vegeta. She wasn't sure what exactly had happened with him. Or if it had happened at all, for that matter. She had always seen Vegeta as a handsome man, but all the men she surrounded herself with were. He had never really stuck out...until now. She smiled at her reflection, then turned back to her room.  
  
"Hey," a voice said. The light was off and she couldn't make out the man that was sitting on her bed. The voice gave it away, though. Damry grinned and ran straight for the figure and tackled him onto her bed. They both laughed and Damry rested her head on her brother's chest. "Chichi told me you weren't feeling well! I guess that doesn't put a damper on your energy, huh?"  
  
"Hell no! And I'm not sick, just exhausted! I'm really ready for this weekend!" She closed her eyes and Goku wrapped his arms around her.  
  
"Well, from what I hear, you'll be spending a good part of it fixing the wall! What exactly happened in there, Damry?" Goku ran his fingers through her hair, smiling to himself. He always knew when Damry was hiding something.  
  
"Vegeta pissed me off. Just a fight over the remote, nothing big. Trunks walked in before there was any bloodshed." Damry was doing her best to sound natural. She and Vegeta fought just as much as everyone else did, but Goku had special interest in this specific incident.  
  
"Oh yeah? You and Vegeta have been fighting a lot lately!"  
  
"Well, he's hard not to fight with. Can you honestly tell me that you don't want to hit him upside the head after everything he says?"  
  
"Of course I do! We all do! But we've learned to deal with it! You seem to lunge at him every chance you get! It's like you can't keep your hands off of him!"  
  
Damry lifted her head and looked at her grinning brother. "What's that supposed to mean?"  
  
Goku lowered his voice, knowing how personal the subject was for his little sister. "I mean that I have been watching you two!"  
  
"And...?" Damry asked impatiently. She was dying to know if he had seen something.  
  
"And I've seen the way you look at each other!" Damry gave him a blank stare, not sure of what he was talking about. "Oh come on, Damry! Are you telling me that you don't have some secret crush on Vegeta?"  
  
"No! Of course not!" She punched Goku's chest playfully, then let him sit up. "I mean, it's Vegeta!"  
  
Goku swung his legs over the edge of the bed. Damry folded her legs and hugged a pillow to her chest. Goku's face grew serious and cold. He rarely showed this side of his personality. "Good, because Vegeta does not deserve you, and you would only end up getting hurt. I won't let you have a relationship with him, Damry, it's out of the question!" With that, he stood up and headed towards the door.  
  
Damry grabbed his hand. "Goku, I think I'm old enough to make my own decisions. I'm 28, you know! 28 and I've never had a serious boyfriend! Nobody is ever good enough for you!"  
  
"Listen, no matter how old you are, I will always be older than you. And therefore, I will always be responsible for you! I just don't want to see you getting yourself hurt when I can do something about it!" Damry nodded, releasing her brother's hand. He kneeled in front of her and put his hands on her shoulders. "I love you, Damry. I would die if something happened to you."  
  
Damry couldn't help but smile. Her brother made her feel so safe. She wrapped her arms tightly around him and he returned the hug. She kissed him on the cheek, which he copied, and wished him sweet dreams. Goku smiled and gave her a small wave before closing the door behind him. Once Goku was gone, Damry's smile faded. So what if I like Vegeta, Damry thought, it's not like he likes me back or anything. It's just an innocent crush. But if he doesn't like me, then why did he almost kiss me today...She cleared the thought from her head and closed her eyes. It wasn't long before she was fast asleep.  
  
Vegeta turned the shower off and rubbed his face as he leaned against the shower wall. He reached for a towel and ran it across his eyes and neck, then wrapped it around his waist. He opened the door to his room, emitting a thick sheet of steam. He quickly shut it, not wanting to make his room any hotter than it had to be. He slipped on the flannel pants that were waiting for him right where he left them that morning-on the floor. He rubbed his hair with the towel to get the dampness out, then wandered out to the kitchen where Trunks was still studying.  
  
Trunks's pencil scratched some numbers on a messy piece of paper, then he entered some numbers into a calculator and recorded his answer. Vegeta opened the refrigorator door, searching for something that would fill him up before he went to sleep. "We need more food," he grunted, grabbing a pudding snack pack reluctantly.  
  
"No," Trunks responded, never taking his eyes off of his book, "you just don't like the food we have because it's healthy."  
  
Vegeta opened a drawer and pushed some silverware around until he found a spoon. "Exactly, I'll eat healthy when I'm at Kakkarot's. While I'm at home, I should be able to eat whatever I want! Remind me to send you to the store tomorrow night." Trunks didn't respond verbally, only nodded. Vegeta wasn't sure he understood, so he walked up from behind his son and slammed his book shut. "Why are you doing homework on a Friday night anyway?" he snapped.  
  
Trunks's frusturated eyes met with his intimidating father's. "So that I won't have to do it at the last minute," he replied calmly.  
  
"Well it's getting late. If you want to get up early enough to fish tomorrow morning, you'll have to get to bed at a decent hour." Vegeta was on his way out of the kitchen when he stopped. "Oh, and Rita called while you were in the shower. I suppose it's too late to call now."  
  
Trunks had found his page in his workbook again, but slammed it shut at his father's remark. He jumped up out ofhis chair to face him, his eyes full of rage. "I was in the shower over an hour ago and you're just now telling me?!"  
  
Vegeta smirked, crossing his arms. "Don't get so upset, Trunks, it's only a girl!" He piled a few spoonsfull of pudding into his mouth, nearly finishing the whole snack.  
  
Trunks knew better than to raise his voice at his father. Without his mother around to break up fights, he would more than likely be left battered and bruised in defeat. "I happen to like this girl very much and I think I have a good chance with her! So next time she calls, would you give me the message as soon as possible, please?" Vegeta nodded, the smirk faded away from his face. He turned to leave again, but Trunks's voice stopped him. "Oh, and Dad," Trunks was sitting back down, a grin forming across his face. "I'm not stupid, I know what you and Damry were doing in there."  
  
Vegeta was outraged. He was sure he hadn't done anything with Damry, only pinned her down! How could his son pissibly have seen anything? "What are you talking about?" he demanded with a sharpness in his voice.  
  
"If I hadn't walked out, you would have been eaten her face off!" Trunks was still grinning despite the threatening tone Vegeta was using.  
  
Vegeta took a few deep breaths to calm down, not wanting to get physical with his son, then scraped the rest of the pudding from the sides of the container, finishing it off and tossing the container in the trash and the spoon in the sink with the rest of the un-washed dishes. "Well you're wrong, she picked a fight with me and I was only defending myself. Damry is an absent minded girl with the IQ of a rock just like her brother! There is no way I could ever be attracted to her in any way, so get your head out of the clouds and back to your training where it belongs!" He spun around and charged out of the kitchen, leaving his son laughing in the background.  
  
He marched into his room, slammed the door, and planted himself in his bed. He hadn't made his bed in weeks, so it took him a while to get the sheets straightened out. Once he was situated, he turned his lamp off, and stared at the ceiling with a huff.  
  
Trunks couldn't have seen anything because nothing happened! But he'll surely tell Gohan and Gohan will more than likely tell Kakkarot, which means I'll have him breathing down my neck until I can convince him that I am in no way attracted to his bratty little sister, Vegeta thought, not feeling tired enough to sleep. After all, Damry is as much a man as he is! He never let her blossom the way a girl should. Now she's nearly thirty and she still looks more like her brother than a beautiful woman! She does have beautiful eyes, but she is tougher than Krillin and Trunks put together! Besides, Trunks sees her as a sister, I could never see someone that he was close to like that. Vegeta sighed and closed his eyes, forcing himself to sleep.  
  
Goku climbed in bed beside Chichi after brushing his teeth. He kissed her cheek and rolled onto his side, closing his eyes. "Goodnight!" he said cheerfully and routinely. Chichi, however, was not ready to go to sleep. She touched his arm softly and he opened his eyes a crack. "Hmm?" he grunted sleepily.  
  
"Goku, have you noticed any changes in Damry lately?" she asked her husband with concern in her eyes.  
  
"Of course, she's getting much stronger and she's much more powerful! She almost had me this afternoon, you should have seen it!" His eyes were wide now and he propped his head up on his hand.  
  
"No, Goku, I mean in her personality. It seems like she's upset about something! I think you should talk to her." Chichi stared at him seriously to make herself clear.  
  
Goku nodded, then laid his head back down on the pillow. "Tomorrow. At the lake."  
  
Chichi laughed a little, "I don't think so! She is staying home and helping me fix that wall! Besides, it won't be good for her health to be splashing around in that dirty lake!"  
  
"Aww, come on Chichi! Gohan will be home from his camping trip with Piccolo tomorrow afternoon, he'll help you fix the wall!"  
  
"When Gohan gets home, he is going straight to his room to study! It's bad enough you let him miss three days of school, he needs to concentrate on his work!"  
  
Goku yawned and closed his eyes. "Let Damry come with us tomorrow morning. Maybe if she gets out and relaxes in the sun it'll help her out a little! Besides, everyone else is going, it's only fair! We've all broken something in this house, it's nothing new!"  
  
Chichi wrapped her arms around her pillow and closer her eyes as well. "Okay, Goku, if you say so! Damry will go tomorrow and you will stay home and help me fix the wall!"  
  
Goku's eyes popped open. "Huh?"  
  
Chichi only laughed. Goku sighed, closed his eyes, and they both fell asleep.  
  
A ray of light peeked through the blinds in Damry's room, resting on her closed eyes. She rolled on her side, reluctant to wake up. Then, the sound of an electric sander against plaster screamed in her ears and her eyes popped open. She mumbled something to herself and she sat up, rubbing her eyes. She pulled up the blinds in her window as she yawned, admiring the perfect morning. The sun had just risen over the horizon, and the birds were finally up and singing. She lowered the blinds, knowing that she would be spending a good part of that perfect day fixing a wall instead of fishing with her friends.  
  
Damry swung her feet over the side of her bed, landing perfectly in her tattered and worn-through slippers. Her old gi from the day before was no longer on the floor, but it was replaced with fresh laundry sitting on a chair. She smiled to herself, mentally thanking Chichi for doing her laundry. The sound of the sander downstairs blasted her ear drums again, fully waking her up. What could Goku be doing? she thought as she walked out of her room.  
  
She shuffled into the den where a messy Goku was working on the wall she had cracked the day before. He noticed her walk in and put the sander down. "Good morning, Damry!" he said cheerfully. Damry couldn't help but snicker to herself. Goku was wearing a white shirt under some plaster- covered overalls with a baseball cap that was equally splattered. He was covered head to toe in a crusty white powder.  
  
"What in the name of Kami are you doing at this hour of the morning, Goku?" she finally asked.  
  
"I'm fixing the crack that you made yesterday!" he replied, never losing his cheerful grin.  
  
Damry walked over to him to admire his work. It wasn't half bad! You could barely tell there was ever a crack. "Goku, you didn't have to do this! I was going to fix it this morning then fly over with Gohan and Piccolo when they got back!"  
  
Goku put an arm around his sister, smiling with soft, brotherly eyes. "You've worked too hard this week to miss this! I know you look foreword to it! Besides, a little fresh air would do you some good!"  
  
"Goku, I'm outside all day every day! I get pleanty of fresh air! Besides, you shouldn't have to pay for my mistake!"  
  
"What I mean is, you need to relax! It was no trouble at all for me to do this this morning, so why don't we just go get some breakfast? We're meeting everyone in an hour!" Damry smiled and hugged her brother. They both walked into the kitchen where Chichi had made eggs and bacon for both of them.  
  
Vegeta stumbled carelessly into the kitchen, following his nose to the source of the wonderful smell that had woken him up. Trunks was hovered over a skillet full of pancakes. He turned to greet his father, flipping a pancake over his shoulder fresh off the skillet. Vegeta caught it easily and took a bite, then plopped down lazily at the table. "Not bad," he said, his mouth half-full.  
  
"There's more where that came from," Trunks said eagerly, placing a plate with 7 or 8 pancackes stacked on it with a side of sausage in front of his father, along with a glass of juice. Vegeta didn't hesitate to dig in. Trunks sat across from him with the same portions. It didn't take the two men long to finish their breakfast and even go back for a second helping. Once finished, Vegeta congratulated his son on a delicious meal and headed back to his room to prepare for the day at the lake.  
  
"Father, before you go, can I ask you something?" Trunks asked, stopping his father from exiting. Vegeta leaned against the door frame, crossing his arms and awaiting his son's delimma. Trunks stood uncomfortably before him, not used to talking to his father about personal problems. "Well, you know that girl I've been talking to?"  
  
"That Rita girl, right?" His voice was low, growing as uncomfortable as his son.  
  
"Right...well, I've been seeing a lot of her. I spend pretty much every minute I'm not training with her. We've gotten really close, father, and I'm really starting to like her." Trunks's voice was growing more and more unstable, knowing that his father didn't approve of him seeing anyone durring his time with him.  
  
"Trunks, I told you not to get too close, didn't I? You are from the future! 12 years in the future! How are you going to explain to her that she is really much older than you? You're a fool for going too far with her, Trunks. I suggest you start getting over her right now." Vegeta didn't give his son a chance to retaliate. He retreated quickly to his room, not wanting to waste any more time telling his son what he already knew. He came all the way back here to get to know me, and he spends all his time with some female! How does he think that will bring us any closer?  
  
Trunks lowered his head and put the dishes in the sink. He would have to wash them soon, they were running out of clean things to eat off of. How did he ever survive without me here? He can't cook, can't do dishes, can't to laundry...He filled the sink with warm water, hoping all the crusted food would be softened by the time they returned that evening.  
  
Damry and Goku arrived at the lake just as Vegeta and Trunks did. Krillin, Tien, and Yamcha were already there setting up their poles. "Hey guys!" Krillin said, greeting them with an eager smile.  
  
They all exchanged 'Hello's' and found spots on the ground to set up their supplies. Damry sat between Goku and Yamcha and she tried to explain why her brother was still covered in plaster. Vegeta grunted from his position under a tree. "Well it's your own fault," he said sourly, "you didn't even say please!"  
  
Damry rolled her eyes. "And I suppose you would have given up your precious remote had I asked nicely?"  
  
Vegeta grinned evily. "Of course!"  
  
"Well then would you please pass me the bait?" she asked with a hint of sarcasm. She bit off the extra line after tying on her sinker. Vegeta tossed her a container full of worms which she caught with her extra hand. She opened it up, grabbed the first worm she saw, and drove her hook through it a couple times. She stood up and joined Tien at the edge of the lake, casting her line in.  
  
Tien smiled over at her. "You and Vegeta have been going at it a lot lately, is there a problem?" he asked curiously.  
  
"Nah," she responded, shaking her head, but keeping her eyes fixed on her twitching bobber. "he's always a jerk. You know how it is."  
  
Tien just laughed in agreement as Trunks joined them on the other side of Damry. "Hey," he said lowly.  
  
"Hey, Trunks, is something wrong?" Damry asked, reeling in her line. He rarely let anything get to him, so Damry was pretty concerned.  
  
"I tried talking to Vegeta this morning," he said softly, not wanting anyone but her to hear what he was saying. Tien took the hint and started walking to where Goku and Krillin stood. Vegeta was helping Yamcha with his broken pole a good distance away, so Trunks continued. "I tried to tell him about Rita, but he wouldn't hear it."  
  
"What exactly did you tell him?" Damry asked, looking at her empty hook frusturatedly. Trunks reached down into the bucket he had brough over and handed her a minnow.  
  
"Here, try this." Damry took it and hooked the small fish through the mouth, then casted again. "I told him that Rita and I have gotten really close. Then he said that I should start getting over her because a relationship is out of the question."  
  
"Well, Trunks, I hate to agree with Vegeta, but in a way he is right." Trunks shot a betrayed look at her, so she quickly tried to correct herself. "Not that what he is saying is entirely fair, but you have to return to the future eventually, right? I mean, you have to take care of your mother! And when you do, how is Rita going to take it? What would happen if you saw her at the grocery store or something and you're 18 and she's 33? Wouldn't that be a bit...awkward?"  
  
"Well of course it would be. But I have every intention to take her back to the future with me!" Trunks sounded so sure of himself. Damry hated to burst his bubble, but she knew that if his father wouldn't help him, she had to.  
  
"Trunks, do you really think she'd go with you? I mean, she'd have to leave all of her friends behind, her family, to a place she doesn't understand where some of the people she once loved are dead and all her friends have families and jobs...it would be rough!"  
  
Trunks looked down. He didn't notice his bobber twitching and his line tightening. In an instant, the bobber was tugged under. Damry reached over and pulled at his pole for him, snagging whatever was on the other end through the lip before it could swallow. Trunks quickly snapped out of his trance and started reeling it in. "Whoa, it's strong!" He kept reeling, pausing every now and then to wear it out. He had determination in his eyes and had caught everyone's attention. "I have a feeling it's a real big one! This'll be dinner tonight!" Vegeta and Yamcha had walked over, Yamcha ready with the net. Everyone waited in suspense until Trunks finally had it pulled up on the shore.  
  
Everyone tried to keep from laughing. Vegeta and Damry had to turn away for a moment to collect themselves. Yamcha couldn't resist. "Gee, Trunks, I didn't know you could catch a minnow with a minnow! I guess they're cannibalistic or something!" That set Vegeta and Damry off. In a matter of seconds, they were both rolling on the ground laughing so hard tears were streaming down their cheeks. In the distance, Goku, Krilling, and Tien were laughing along with them.  
  
Trunks held up his fish proudly. "Hey, he's a good...three inches! In a few years, this thing will be big enough to swallow all of you whole!" He removed the small fish from the hook and tossed him back in the lake. Vegeta and Damry sat up, trying to regain their composure. Trunks had never seen his father let loose like this. He was surprised he wasn't still grumpy about their conversation that morning.  
  
After a few minutes, Vegeta finally stood up, offering Damry a hand. She took it, wiping tears from her eyes with her free hand. Vegeta put a hand on his son's shoulder. "Dinner tonight, huh? I'm proud of you, son. It takes a real man to take this kind of abuse!" Vegeta tried to get his sentance out without laughing any more, to no avail.  
  
"Okay, okay, we've all had our embarassing catches! We can't control what bites the bait, right?" Damry said in Trunks's defense. Everyone nodded, still smiling, and went back to their own poles. Yamcha took his repaired pole up to where Goku, Tien, and Krillin stood, but Vegeta stayed with Trunks and Damry. Trunks had re-baited, and Vegeta had just casted his line.  
  
They stood in silence for a while, an awkward air still surrounding all three of them. They were all on uncomfortable grounds with each other, though nobody would admit to it. Trunks finally broke the silence. "You know, this has never been that great of a spot. We should try taking the boat out! The real big ones hang out on the bottom near the middle!"  
  
Damry nodded, as did Vegeta. Hearing no objections, Trunks lead the way over to the small john boat. They always kept it beached at the same spot. Trunks pulled the stick from the ground that held it in place and let Vegeta and Damry get in before he pushed it off and jumped in himself. Vegeta took over the oars and they headed straight to the middle of the lake.  
  
Everyone had their poles facing a different direction. They had removed their bobbers so that the bait would sink to the bottom, and replaced the minnows with worms. Damry decided to break the uncomfortable silence. "So Trunks, how's school? Still getting straight A's?"  
  
"Well, I have an 89 in Chemistry, but that's an Honor's class, so it's bumped up." He sounded glad to be talking, but not about school. He had been staying with his father for three years, and they never talked about school, or anything for that matter. He was hoping that by now they would be close enough to talk about anything. This was harder than he thought.  
  
Vegeta grunted. "An 89? I thought that was your best class!"  
  
"It was my best class until we started this lab! It's killing my grades!" Trunks said in his own defense.  
  
"Well, maybe you should work a little harder, Trunks! I won't have my only son flunk out of Chemestry!" Vegeta's harsh tone made Damry cower. She hated witnessing their fights. She was stuck right between them, trying to be invisible.  
  
"Didn't you just tell me last night that I needed to concentrate more on training? Make up your mind, Father! Do you want me to be a straight A student or a Super Saiyan?" Trunks retaliated with the same harshness in his voice as his father had used on him. Damry lowered her head even more.  
  
Vegeta finally noticed Damry and sighed. "We'll talk about this when we get home!" he snapped, ending the debate. Damry was obviously relieved. She kept her eyes fixed on the water, giving Vegeta the opportunity to admire her. When he noticed Trunks watching him, he quickly snapped his eyes back to the water.  
  
After a few hours, the three rowed back in empty handed and empty stomached. Everyone removed their lunches from whatever cooler or basket they had brought and found a nice seat on the ground or on a fallen tree or stump. Goku was sharing his story of a huge fish that barely got away from him, but he hadn't grabbed Damry's attention. Trunks was listening with a grin on his face, laughing with everyone else as Goku told his exaggerated story. Damry was staring at Vegeta, who was shaking his head as Goku showed everyone how big the fish really was. There was a side of him that came out at the lake that she never saw durring the week. He was more natural here. He didn't have to be sour to everyone or act more macho than he really was. Everyone was equal at the lake, and they developed a certain understanding for one another. It applied to everyone except Trunks.  
  
He avoided his son as much as he possibly could. It was as if he didn't want anything to do with him. In a way, he resented Trunks. Damry couldn't figure out why Trunks even stuck around. He got to know his father, and he was a jerk. Trunks should have left the day he came. Damry didn't complain, though. She enjoyed having Trunks around. He was a charming, sensative young man, and she loved him like a second brother.  
  
Damry's train of throught was interrupted suddenly when a force from in front of her knocked her backwards off of the tree. She hadn't even seen it coming! "Aunt Damry!" Gohan yelled excitedly as he latched himself on to Damry.  
  
She laughed and hugged him back. "Gohan! You're home early!" Gohan released her and stood up, then helped her back up.  
  
He sat in her lap as Piccolo approached. Goku walked over and sat next to them, smiling at his son. "Hey, Gohan! Did you have fun?"  
  
"Oh, it was great! First, me and Piccolo climbed up this huge mountain! Then, when we got to the top, we set up camp and built a fire without using matches or anything! He even showed me how to skin a deer with my bare hands!"  
  
Damry jumped up, knocking Gohan off her lap. "You WHAT?! Gohan, that's repulsive!"  
  
"Well, I washed my hands afterwards, Damry! There was a stream there where we got water and washed our faces and stuff!"  
  
"Oooh, I see!" Damry said with a grin. Gohan continued telling his camping stories to his friends as Damry made her way to where Piccolo stood. He smiled at her as she gave him a soft hug. "Hey, Piccolo," she said softly. "Sounds like you gave that kid the time of his life!"  
  
Piccolo hugged her back. "Yeah, well, he would have come home happy as long as he got to see the inside of a deer."  
  
Damry laughed and they sat down to listen to Gohan's stories which were obviously over exaggerated, just like his father. "And then there was this huge bear! It was as big as...as...as five Dads! And it was ten times stronger!"  
  
"Hey!" Goku said defensively, knowing there couldn't possibly be a bear ten times stronger than the strongest man in the universe.  
  
"Chill, Dad, it's okay, I killed him! And then there was this river..."  
  
Damry unintentionally zoned her nephew out as her attention was once again directed to Vegeta. He was munching on his sandwich, smiling at Gohan's adventurous stories. He never ceased to amaze Damry. He wanted people to think that he was cold and hard, when really it was all just an act. He knew how to loosen up, he just didn't want to be seen as weak.  
  
Damry jumped a little when Piccolo elbowed her. He had noticed her staring at Vegeta. "Wanna talk about it," he asked softly. She nodded embarassingly and they both stood up, sneaking off while Gohan still had everyone's attention. Vegeta looked up, noticing their departure, but shrugged it off.  
  
Piccolo lead Damry to the other side of the lake, far away from everyone. He told her a few exciting stories from his camping trip that Gohan exaggerated into oblivion, and a few that he overlooked, but was sure to remember durring the next few days. "He's a great kid. You should come with us next time," Piccolo decided, ending the topic of camping.  
  
Damry sat down on the bank, kicking her shows off and letting the water tickle her feet. Piccolo sat next to her, but left his hiking boots on. He searched Damry's face for an explination for her discomfort, but couldn't figure out what could have possibly happened. He finally reached over to her and placed his hand on hers, smiling comfortingly at her. She looked up, surprised at his touch, not expecting it. She smiled back, knowing that he came over there to listen to her.  
  
Damry's eyes traveled back across the lake to the group of her friends still listening to the overly enthusiastic Gohan. She smiled a little, then looked down at her reflection in the water, wrinkled by small waves crashing into her feet. "I know you have a good idea of what is going on," she finally said, her voice almost in a whisper despite the fact that they were alone.  
  
Piccolo nodded. "I've known for a while now. You're attracted to Vegeta. The reason, however, bewilders me." Piccolo tried to make it seem like it was okay and normal to have feelings for Vegeta, but he couldn't hide it. "Damry, I've known you since...since you were a baby! And I think I've developed a feeling of what is right and what isn't for you. Vegeta isn't really the kind of guy you should get involved with. We all saw how he treated Bulma. That's why she left!"  
  
Damry nodded sullenly. "Well, it's not like I'm in love with him or anything, and I know he just sees me as another empty headed female, but I really think I can change all that! After all, I did get him speaking to Trunks!"  
  
"Well sure, they talk, I'll give you that much, but Damry, Goku is more of a father to that boy than anyone! And you and Trunks have developed something I don't think he will ever have with his son! You know Vegeta, Damry, he's not one to take orders!"  
  
"I don't want to tell him what to do. I think that if I show him what kinds of options he has, then I can get him to become a better person! I mean, who wants to be alone forever, anyway? I think Vegeta just needs to know that people care about him!"  
  
Piccolo forced his eyes off of her. He wanted to fly over to Vegeta and punch him in the face for getting to Damry like he did, but he forced himself not to. "I just hope you know what you're getting yourself into. Goku's not gonna like this at all. And think about Trunks. You dating his father might cause a little...weirdness, don't you think? I mean, you're like a sister to him!"  
  
"I don't even know if I like him or not! Sometimes I want to wrap my fingers around his neck and just squeeze his life out, but then sometimes I want to grab him and kiss him...I think it just might be me lacking the attention I need and finding it in Vegeta. Either way, I don't want to do anything until I figure out how I feel. I don't even know if he likes me or not! I guess I should find that out..."  
  
"And how exactly are you going to do that? Go up to him, twist some hair around your finger and say 'Hey Vegeta, I think you're keen! Will you go steady with me?' I just don't think he'd go for that."  
  
Damry couldn't help but laugh at Piccolo's weak attempt to immitate her. She had no idea his voice could even go that high. Damry stumbled up to her feet and waded into the water until it got up to her shorts. She didn't want to get the denim wet, knowing how uncomfortable that would be. Piccolo followed her in, not knowing exactly what she wanted. She sighed, watching her friends on the other side of the lake pack up their trash and get their poles ready again. Piccolo put a hand on her shoulder. "Goku cares a lot about you."  
  
"I know," Damry said with a sigh, crossing her arms. "but sometimes I think he cares too much. I mean, I never played with dolls or wore makeup or any of that girly stuff! Lately I've just felt so empty it's made me physically sick!"  
  
"It's called depression, Damry. Look into it." Piccolo splashed a little water on her with an evil grin. Damry grinned and lunged at him, knocking him under the water. After holding his head under for a few seconds, she released him and took off, straight into the air. A very wet and panting Piccolo followed her, grabbing her arms and pulling them behind her. She flipped backwards so that she could grab his head between her knees and send him flying towards the ground. He caught himself just before he hit, but Damry was already on the other side of the lake, readying her fishing pole. Piccolo just laughed to himself and joined Goku.  
  
Krillin slowly approached Damry, not knowing if her fight with Piccolo was out of anger or just for fun. "H-hey, Damry!" he said, trying to act normal.  
  
Damry snagged her minnow through the lip, then smiled at him. "Don't worry, Krillin, Piccolo and I were just having some fun!"  
  
Krillin laughed, then reached down into the bucket and pulled out a minnow for himself. "Well, I haven't really talked to you since yesterday! You were asleep when I left, so I didn't get to tell you..."  
  
"Tell me what, Krillin?" Damry asked naturally.  
  
"Well," Krillin started, rubbing his neck, "Goku and I were talking earlier. About you." Damry looked down at him, then casted. "He mentioned something about you having some crush on Vegeta!" he finished shamelessly.  
  
Damry's eyes widened and her heart skipped a beat. The blood rushed out of her face and she dropped her pole. "He what?! " Without giving him a change to respond, she took off, flying straight towards her brother. He was still talking to Gohan, but she didn't hesitate to interrupt. She grabbed his arm and took off again a ways away so that nobody could hear her scream. "YOU TOLD KRILLIN THAT I HAVE A CRUSH ON VEGETA!" she accused.  
  
Goku was still rubbing his arm. "Yeah, so? You do, don't you?"  
  
"I have no idea, Goku! I would like to figure that out for myself before the news travels all across the planet! You should know better than to tell people our secrets!" Damry punched his arm between words, almost in tears.  
  
"You never said it was a secret, Damry! I'm sorry, I didn't know it was such a big deal to you!" He finnaly grabbed her hands to restrain her.  
  
She tried to pry her hands loose, but he wouldn't let her go. She finally gave in to her tears. "Of course it is, Goku! This is a very sensative subject for me! If I wanted Krillin to know, I would have told him! Who else did you tell? Tien? Yamcha? I wouldn't be surprised if you told Vegeta himself!"  
  
Goku looked hurt. Damry didn't regret a single word she threw at him. He released her hands and looked down. "Gosh, I really am sorry, Damry. I'll make it better, I promise! I didn't know, honest! But Krillin is my best friend and I was worried about you! I'm sorry!"  
  
Goku's saddened eyes and sincere appology sunk right in. She latched onto her big brother and he hugged her tightly back. "It's okay, Goku! Just be more careful next time! And don't worry, I don't even think I like Vegeta! It's just my bottled up emotions looking for a way out!"  
  
Goku rubbed her back and rested his chin on her head. "It's my own fault, I should have let you go to school instead of hiring a tutor. I sheltered you too much and now you have to pay for it! Maybe you should date Vegeta. Maybe it's for the best!"  
  
Damry pulled away from him, wiping her eyes. "No, no, don't say that." She forced a smile, as did Goku. "When I find a guy worth crying over, I'll know."  
  
Goku nodded and put an arm around his little sister's shoulders as he lead her back to where everyone else was fishing. Everyone quickly turned back to the lake, hoping Goku and Damry hadn't noticed them watching every move they made. Damry wandered over to where her pole was, but didn't see it. "Hey Krillin, did you do something with my pole?" Damry yelled. He had moved positions to get a better look at what was going on with her and Goku.  
  
"No, Damry, I haven't seen it!" he yelled back, then went back to talking to Gohan.  
  
Then, Trunks yelled from a few feet away, "Hey, Damry! There it goes!"  
  
Damry looked up just in time to see her pole skidding across the lake, being pulled by something underneath. "Oh crap!" she yelled as she ran into the lake, swimming quickly towards the pole. Once she caught up to it, she dove underneath to see what was pulling it. Then she saw it. A gigantic white fish, at least ten feet long, pulling her pole farther and farther down. She smiled to herself, accepting the challenge, and dove down to it. She drove her fists into its head, making it stop for a minute to regroup. Then she grabbed the monster's tail and shot up, pulling it high above the water to show everyone.  
  
Vegeta blinked a few times, not believing the sight. Krillin dropped his pole in shock, but quickly picked it back up. Gohan's eyes lit up and he flew up to Damry. "Wow, Aunt Damry! That's definately the catch of the day!"  
  
Damry laughed a little, still dripping wet. "How many Super Saiyans do you think this will feed?"  
  
"Oh I don't know, Dad could probably eat the whole thing alone, if you let him!" The both laughed and Damry lowered the fish to the ground. Everyone gathered around to admire her work. They exchanged "Good Job"s and "Wow, what a catch"s, but once the excitement was over, they retreated to their own poles again. All except Vegeta.  
  
"That's quit impressive," he said, stroking the fish's dying head. "Not bad, for a woman, that is."  
  
Damry crossed her arms defensively. "Oh, so you think you can do better because you're a man, huh?"  
  
"Of course I can do better! But not only because I am a man, but because I'm stronger than you!" He smirked at her, only angering her more.  
  
"Well if you think you're so great, then what's stopping you? Go find yourself a fish!" She had approached him to the point where she was almost in his face.  
  
Vegeta grinned evily. "Maybe I will!" He savored the last few moments he had being that close to her, then took off, diving straight into the middle of the lake. Nobody had to ask, they knew what was going on.  
  
Damry reached into her fish's mouth to un-hook it. She had caught a smaller fish, still a good size, and the larger fish had eaten that one. She removed the smaller fish and un-hooked it, then tossed it beside the other one. They would have to get it home soon if it was going to be good by dinner time. She took her pole and leaned it against a tree, not wanting to fish any more that day.  
  
By the time she walked over to where Piccolo and Trunks stood, Vegeta was surfacing, and he wasn't empty handed. Damry crossed her arms and watched skeptically as he pulled out a fish at least three feet longer than hers, and equally as fat. He had outdone her again. "Good work," she said sarcastically as he floated by her with a proud grin.  
  
"You don't have to tell me, Damry, I was there!" He smirked and threw his fish next to Damry's. It was definately bigger. "Maybe this will help feed us tonight!" he boasted as everyone clapped for him. He threw his pole down and walked back over to his son, Damry, and Piccolo, dusting his hands in success. "Big enough for you, Damry? Hmm?"  
  
"Okay, okay, you win!" She refused to look at him as he stood unusually close to her. "Asshole," she mumbled, not thinking he would hear.  
  
Unfortunately, Trunks, Piccolo, and Vegeta all heard. Trunks and Piccolo looked at each other, then toon off, leaving them to themselves. Vegeta's eyes narrowed at her. Damry stood tall, not feeling the slightest bit intimidated. It only angered him more to see her acting so normal. "Don't try to fool me, woman, you and I both know that I could snap your neck with my little finger!"  
  
"I would love to see you try, Vegeta!" He didn't need any more inspiration. Vegeta swung his fist at her, but Damry dodged it, only to intersept his other fist flying towards her stomach. She took it in and got over the pain fast enough to jump over his leg, then kick him right in the face. He stumbled backwards, but regained his ground by driving his foot into her gut. She grew angrier and threw a series of punches at him, connecting a few times. Then, out of nowhere, Vegeta disappeared and re- appeared behind her, kicking her so hard she went flying into a hill, sending rocks flying around her. She regained her strength and blasted out from under the rocks, landing back on the ground. Her arms and legs ached, but she didn't let Vegeta see it.  
  
Vegeta landed close to her. "Give up yet? Because I would be happy to spare you on your day of rest! We can finish this on Monday!"  
  
Damry grinned. "No on your life, Vegeta!" She then appeared behind Vegeta and kicked him straight into the rocks she hand just blasted out of. He stumbled back onto his feet just in time to get kicked across the face, then punched multiple times in the stomach. She almost had him, but he surprised her with a kick in her left side, then a punch in the stomach that knocked her down. He quickly pinned her arms down so he could see the expression on her face. He was amazed to find her smiling. "Thanks, Vegeta, that's just what I needed!" He looked confused and let his guard down long enough to flip him over so that she had him pinned. "Ha!"  
  
"Oh yeah? That's what you think!" Vegeta twisted his leg around hers and flipped her over so that he was on top once again. This time, he wasn't going to let her move. "Try getting out of this one!" Damry squirmed around in his hold, but he wouldn't give. "Yeah, that's what I thought!"  
  
Damry finally gave in, leaning her head on the ground in defeat. "Okay, Vegeta, you got me this time! But I'll be waiting for you Monday morning!"  
  
This was the point where Vegeta was supposed to let her go and they would fly back to the others, but he didn't. His evil grin turned into almost a warm smile and he locked his eyes on hers. Damry couldn't move. He had her in the same trance as the day before. She watched helplessly as he slowly lowered his lips towards hers, the exact same way he did before. There was a softness in his eyes that she had never seen, and it made her feel less guilty.  
  
Their eyes started to close and she could feel him only a hairs width away, when she felt him pull away. Her eyes fluttered open to see Vegeta pulling away just in time for Goku and Piccolo to show up. Had Vegeta not sensed them, they would have both been in a lot of trouble. Goku helped Damry up and Vegeta gave Damry one more smile, making sure Goku and Piccolo didn't see, and blasted off.  
  
"Gosh, Damry! What was that all about?" Goku said as he checked her for injuries.  
  
"Nothing, we were just messing around, that's all."  
  
Goku's concern turned into suspicion and he frowned. "That had better be all, Damry!" Piccolo and Damry exchanged worried expressions. Goku gave her one more warning glare and took off. The sun was starting to set, and everyone was packing up. They had put the dead fish back in the water to keep them fresh and were now pulling them back up.  
  
Piccolo sighed. "Be careful, Damry. That was too close."  
  
"But Piccolo-" Damry tried to rebuttle, but he took off, leaving Damry alone. Instead of flying back, she decided to walk.  
  
By the time she got back to the lake, everything had been packed up and ready to go back to Goku's to cook their fish dinner. "Ready, guys?" Krillin asked. Everyone nodded, except for Goku.  
  
"You guys go on ahead, Damry and I will catch up," Goku said sternly. They all nodded and took off one by one, Piccolo last. He gave Damry a worried 'good luck' glance, and joined the others, carrying Damry's fish for her.  
  
Goku didn't waste any time to jump on Damry. "How could you, Damry? After everything I said to you! After all the conversations we had about this!"  
  
"Nothing happened, Goku! We fought, that's it!" Damry wasn't about to lose to her brother this time.  
  
"Nothing happened? Would you have been able to say that had I showed up five seconds later? He was on top of you, Damry!"  
  
"He had me pinned down, Goku! You do it all the time!"  
  
"You're my sister!" he yelled, loud enough to scare some birds out of their trees. Goku tried to calm down, taking a few deep breaths. "I hate being mad at you, Damry, but I have to be your big brother. I have to protect you!"  
  
"Exactly, Goku! Protect me, don't shelter me! How am I going to learn if you don't let me live a little! I don't want to die lonely! And I don't want to wait for some guy that you think is good for me to come along in ten years! I want, no, I need to feel loved, Goku! I feel so empty!"  
  
Goku was shot down. He saw her point, but didn't want to admit it. "You are loved, Damry! Everyone hever loves you!"  
  
"No, Goku! Not that kind of love!" Goku knew. She didn't have to tell him. "I want a family like what you have! I want a kid! I want a husband! I want a family, Goku! A family of my own!"  
  
Goku was running out of excuses. She was right and he knew it, but he couldn't let her know that. "I'm not holding you back from that! But do you really think you'll get it from Vegeta? He treats his own son like some kind of disease, and he drove his wife out of the house with his abusive attitude! I don't want you to go through that! Fall in love, Damry! I want you to! Just not with Vegeta!"  
  
Goku was about to take off, but Damry stopped him. "I can't help who I fall in love with, Goku!" He turned to face her once again, fury still boiling in his eyes. "And if I do end up falling in love with Vegeta, you're just going to have to learn to live with it!"  
  
Goku responded only with an icy glare that send daggers through her skin. She watched him take off, and followed far enough behind so that she didn't have to look at him.  
  
She arrived at the house a while after Goku did. Everyone was sitting around the den talking about the day's events, except for Gohan. He was in the kitchen telling his mother about his camping trip. When Damry entered, everyone looked up at her except for Goku. He kept his eyes fixed on the floor. Her eyes traveled from person to person, then she quickly brushed passed them all and hurried into her room, slamming the door.  
  
"I should probably go check on her," Goku said, rising from his position on the couch.  
  
"No," Piccolo said, pushing his shoulder back down. "you've done enough already!" Everyone watched Piccolo leave in amazement. His tone towards Goku was harsh and almost mean! He knocked softly on Damry's door.  
  
"Go away, Goku!" he heard her say, muffled by the door. He cracked it open enough to peek in. "I said go away!" she yelled again.  
  
"Damry, it's me..." Piccolo said softly. Damry was lying on her bed, but quickly sat up when she saw his face.  
  
"Oh, gosh, I'm sorry, Piccolo, I thought you were-"  
  
"I know, I know," he said, shutting the door softly behind him. He pulled up a chair next to Damry's bed and flipped it around backwards so he could rest his arms on the back. "Now tell me what happened."  
  
Damry sighed and grabbed her pillow, hugging it to her chest. "He was really mad, Piccolo. I thought he was gonna blow up! I'm surprised he didn't."  
  
"Well do you want me to talk to him? Because if you do, maybe we can work something out!"  
  
"No, Piccolo, you shouldn't have to get in the middle. This is between me and Goku. He's completely blowing this out of proportion! Nothing happened today, I swear!"  
  
"I know, Damry, I believe nothing happened, but something would have if Goku hadn't gone over there. I think he knew something more than a friendly fight was going on."  
  
"I swear, he knows everything, Piccolo! It's scary! What am I going to do? We live in the same house, how will I ever get any privacy?" Damry hugged her pillow even tighter.  
  
Piccolo sighed, thinking for a moment. "Just meet Vegeta somewhere else! In the woods or something!"  
  
"First of all, nothing is going on between me and Vegeta! Secondly, he'd find us in a heartbeat!"  
  
"I don't know what to tell you, Damry. You can't keep a relationship a secret from Goku. It's virtually impossible, especially with Vegeta."  
  
Damry was about to respond, but Chichi's voice interrupted her. "Time for dinner, everyone! Come and get it!" That's all it took for Piccolo and Damry to run out of her room and straight into the kitchen. Unfortunately, they were stuck at the end of the line. The smell of fish filled the air, torturing everyone who didn't have anything on their plate yet.  
  
Goku walked right by Damry with his plate of fish, headed outside where they could all eat together. "Hey, Piccolo," he said, staring at Damry the whole time. Piccolo didn't respond, he knew Goku wasn't talking to him. Trunks walked by next, followed by Vegeta. Trunks smiled excitedly at her, and Vegeta barely looked up. Damry's heart sank.  
  
After Krillin, Tien, and Yamcha filled their plates, Chichi looked up at Damry and Piccolo, seemingly surprised. "Oh...Goku told me that you two weren't joining us for dinner tonight...I'm sorry, I gave all the fish away!" Piccolo and Damry exchanged panicked expressions, but Chichi just laughed. "Oh, I get a kick out of myself! I really had you two going, didn't I?" She then pulled out two plates piled high with fresh fish and handed them to them. They both sighed in relief, thanked Chichi, and headed outside.  
  
"Here, Damry! I saved you a spot!" Trunks yelled. She sat right between Trunks and Gohan and across from Piccolo and Goku. Vegeta sat on the other side of Goku, luckily out of knee-bumping range. Unfortunately, Goku was. He was talking to Gohan and Krillin, laughing and smiling as if nothing had happened. Piccolo started talking to Gohan, and Yamcha was telling Tien about some girl. That left Trunks, Vegeta, and Damry eating in silence. Damry looked eagerly at her food, then over to Vegeta. Suddenly, the food didn't seem so appealing. She had been looking foreword to that fish all day, but she just wasn't hungry any more. Noticing that Trunks had finished his helping, she pushed all of her fish onto his plate. "Don't tell Chichi," she whispered, then stood up, walking towards the other side of the house. Trunks automatically stood up to follow her, but Piccolo signaled for him to stay put, then stole one of the fish slices off his plate with a grin.  
  
Goku noticed his sister leaving and almost felt bad, but Krillin caught his attention again and he quickly forgot. Vegeta, however, slipped out without being noticed. He quietly made his way to the other side of the house where Damry was sitting on the ground, leaning against a tree. Her eyes were closed, but she wasn't sleeping. Vegeta cautiously walked over to her. Damry knew someone was there, but, assuming it was her brother, she didn't respond.  
  
Vegeta kneeled in front of her, studying her face. Damry wondered why he hadn't said anything yet, she she opened one eye. As soon as she saw Vegeta's face, she gasped, but Vegeta covered her mouth with his hand so that she wouldn't make too much noise. "Shh, I don't want Kakkarot to know we're over here! Relax!"  
  
Damry calmed back down, but was still tense. She was rarely alone with Vegeta, and when she was, they didn't speak. Vegeta sensed her tension, so he sat down next to her. He was sitting so close to her that their shoulders touched, sending butterflies straight to Damry's stomach. "What are you doing over here?" Damry finally asked.  
  
"I uh...was looking for an escape. All of that talking gives me a migrane! How about you?" Vegeta didn't look at Damry. He was staring at his boots that were extended in front of him.  
  
"Same, I guess. Mainly from Goku." She tried to keep her voice from shaking, but she couldn't do anything about her hands. She hoped Vegeta didn't notice how incredibly nervous she was.  
  
"What's gotten into him lately? He's been watching you like a hawk!" Vegeta had noticed her obvious nervousness and smirked to himself. It was obvious to him now that she did have some sort of wild crush on him.  
  
Damry was surprised that Vegeta even cared. He was usually alone, never caring about anything that anyone had to say. And he especially never asked questions about someone's personal life. "He thinks that...well, that there's something-" Damry was too embarrassed to say anything to Vegeta. Luckily, he finished for her.  
  
"Going on between us?" Damry turned to look at him, shocked when her eyes met with his. She could feel her face turn bright red, but she couldn't bring herself to look away.  
  
"Yes, exactly!" she managed to force out, never taking her eyes off of him for a second.  
  
"Is there, Damry?" he asked, almost in a whisper. She couldn't believe how amazingly soft his eyes had gotten. When they sparred, his eyes were always full of rage and love for battle. It was like seeing a whole new person.  
  
Their faces had gotten amazingly close. Any closer and their lips would be locked. She opened her mouth to respond to his question, but was caught by...Trunks. "Hey, you two! Chichi has pie! Lots and lots of pie! Hurry up or you'll miss it!"  
  
Vegeta stood up angrily. "Oh, Kami! Can't I get five minutes without being interrupted?" He looked down at Damry, sighed apologetically, then walked off towards his son. Damry rubbed her face and stood up, reluctantly walking back towards the group.  
  
Goku noticed Vegeta and Damry returning around the same time. Damry's face was flushed and Vegeta had a funny look on his face. Goku's blood began to boil and he stormed over to where Vegeta was about to take a bite of pie. He knocked the plate out of his hand and pinned him up against the side of the house. "STAY AWAY FROM MY SISTER, YOU CREEP!" he yelled in his face. Vegeta kicked Goku in the stomach, forcing him to realease the kung-fu grip he had on him.  
  
"I didn't touch your sister, Kakkarot! Calm down!" Vegeta dusted himself off and started to walk away, but Goku lunged at him. Goku would have knocked him down, but Piccolo, Damry, and Yamcha all thre grabbed him and pulled him away.  
  
Goku struggled in their grip, and it took the help of Trunks, Krillin, Gohan, and Tien to restrain him. "LET ME GO!" he hollered. In the mean time, Vegeta took the opportunity to take off. He usually wasn't one to back out of a fight, but he wasn't going to fight over a girl. As soon as Vegeta was out of sight, Goku gave up. "I can't believe you guys! How could you? You know just as much as I do what he wants with Damry! If you cared about her one bit you would let me go beat the snot out of that pervert while I still have the chance!"  
  
Before Goku could say anything else, Piccolo appeared in front of him and punched Goku right in the jaw, sending him stumbling backwards. Goku rubbed his mouth, wiping the trickling blood off, then turned to his sister. "I guess I had that one coming to me," he said in his normal, cheerful voice. However, his face wasn't as happy as his voice.  
  
Damry was humiliated. Now everyone knew about what was going on. She couldn't even look at Goku, she was so mad. "Nothing happened, Goku!" she told him between clenched teeth. She wanted to punch him and make him suffer like he had made her suffer, but decided against it. She turned quickly and pushed through the crowd of friends that surrounded them now. Chichi had walked out to see what was going on, and she touched Damry's arm as she walked by. Damry paused to try and smile at her sister-in-law, but couldn't bring herself to do it. Chichi understood completely.  
  
Once Damry was inside, all eyes rested on Goku. They all knew what had to be said, but nobody had the courage to speak. Piccolo once again recruited himself to save the day. "Well, Goku, you've really done it this time! You and I both know that you can't stand in the way of whatever Vegeta and Damry have going on between them. Nobody said they were going to get married, but every time Damry bring a guy around here, you scare him away! Let her have her childhood back, Goku! Let her live a little!"  
  
Goku still rubbed his jaw. He nodded and turned away from them without a word. He was finally beginning to understand. Piccolo decided against talking to Damry that night, and suggested the same to the others. They would talk in the morning. Right now, she just needed time alone to think.  
  
Trunks was on his way home, not wanting to be around when Goku came home. He was really going to get it from Chichi. He glanced at his watch: only 8:45. Yes, there was still time! He landed on the doorstep of a small, but nice house in a quiet neighborhood. The kids had all gone inside by now, puting their basketball game on hold until sunrise the next day. He knocked softly on the door and waited patiently for an answer. The door opened a crack, but when Mrs. Borden saw who it was, she welcomed Trunks in. "Good evening, Trunks! It's been a while, we've missed you! Won't you come in and have some cookies?"  
  
Trunks smiled. Rita's grandma was the best. "Gosh, I'd love to, Mrs. Borden, but if it isn't too late I'd really like to talk to Rita!"  
  
Mrs. Borden smiled. She was much shorter than Trunks, just like Rita. Her hair was silver and she wore small square glasses on the tip of her nose and always smelled like cookies. "Why of course, dear! Let me get her for you! Make yourself right at home!" She headed down a hall towards Rita's room as Trunks sat down on their couch. "Rita, dear! Your friend Trunks is here to see you!"  
  
He could hear her run over to her door. When she walked out, he tried not to pass out. Every time he saw her, she took his breath away. She was beautiful! She had straight black hair that went just below her shoulders, which made her deep green eyes stand out like emeralds. She was wearing green plaid pajama pants and a matching green spaghetti strap shirt, obviously not expecting any company, but beautiful nonetheless.  
  
"Trunks, I didn't expect to see you tonight!" she said as she seemingly floated into the room. Trunks could have sworn he saw wings.  
  
"Yeah, well I uh, have been pretty tusy with braining! I mean, busy with training!" He took a deep breath to redeem himself, then continued, slower this time. "You know how my father is. A real workaholic!"  
  
Rita laughed a little to herself at his adorable clumbsiness. "Yeah, I know! Well, I'm glad you finally found some time to fit me into your busy schedule!"  
  
"Oh, always, Rita! I would never forget about you!"  
  
She giggled a little more, loving his compliments. "How long can you stay?"  
  
"Not long," Trunks replied sadly. "My father will want me home by nine. I have to play housewife tonight and do all the housework!"  
  
"Aww, can't you do that tomorrow?" she swooned, puting a hand on his.  
  
Trunks's heart jumped at her touch. He swallowed hard, trying to keep his cool. "Well, tomorrow I told Damry I'd hang out with her. She's having some problems she needs help with."  
  
"Oh, come on! You talk to her all the time, and housework can't possibly take all day! Just stay a little longer, pleeease?" Trunks tried to avoid looking into her eyes. The second he did, he would be completely under control. She would have him wrapped around her little finger, and that's never good for a man. She tilted her head a little, causing him to look up. Once he caught sight of those emeralds, he was a goner.  
  
"Well, alright!"  
  
Four hours later, Trunks opened the front door as quietly as he could. He held his breath and hovered above the ground so he wouldn't make a single noise. He silently closed the door and floated quickly to his room. Once he was home free, he closed the door, stood back on the floor, and finally exhaled. He switched on the light and turned around, letting out a surprised yell. "Father! I-I didn't expect you to be up this late!"  
  
Vegeta rose from his position on Trunks's bed and approached his son. "Yes, well I didn't expect you to be out this late!" He apporoached his son and stood tall before him, even though he was a couple inches shorter, and crossed his arms. "Where were you, Trunks? At Kakkarot's?"  
  
"No, of course not, Father!" Trunks stammered nervously.  
  
"Oh, I see, you were with that girl! That Rita girl! Trunks, what part of 'You are forbidden to see her' did you not understand?" Vegeta hadn't raised his voice, but it was so hard that it made Trunks cower.  
  
"I'm sorry, Father, but I just had to see her! I was only going to say Hello and then leave, but-"  
  
"But what?" Vegeta interrupted. "But you gave in to her eyes? Is that it? You were conquored by a woman? And you call yourself a saiyan!" Vegeta grunted ashamedly.  
  
Trunks took a while to think of a comeback that would excuse his behavior. "Well you're one to talk, I've seen how you look at Damry! Not so tough and strong any more, are you? You can be just as weak as me and you don't even realize it!" Trunks winced, knowing what was coming to him. When he didn't feel his father's fist on his face, he peeked. Vegeta's fist was hovering only inches away form his nose, and then it dropped.  
  
Vegeta walked back to Trunks's bed and sat down, rubbing his face. Trunks didn't know what to do, so he stayed put. "Trunks, you're right," he said softly. Trunks wasn't sure if he had heard his father correctly. Vegeta never admitted to being wrong! What was going on?  
  
"Wh-what did you say?" he asked timidly.  
  
"I said you're right, Trunks! Damry has the same affect on me as Rita has on you. I just don't know how to react because I've never felt like this before! Not even with your mother! It's like...like she has some kind of control over me every time I look into her eyes..."  
  
Trunks couldn't believe what he was hearing. His father was in love! And he was actually talking about it! Trunks walked over and sat next to his father. "Sounds like love to me," he said soflty.  
  
Vegeta's eyes snapped up. "Love? Impossible! She must be playing some mind game with me! Some sort of technique she learned to take over my mind and make me her slave!"  
  
Trunks tried not to laugh. "Father, if that was the case, then why would Goku be so insanely angry with you?"  
  
Vegeta looked back down in defeat. "You're right, Trunks. I am in love with Damry! But...how?"  
  
"Well, you don't really have much control over who you love, you know. It just sort of...happens! And when it does, it's the best feeling in the world, because you feel so incredibly close to this one person that you create this bond that only you can share!"  
  
Vegeta listened in amazement. "You mean Damry might feel the same way about me?"  
  
"Of course she does! Isn't it obvious? She's nervous around you, she never stops staring at you, it's love for sure!"  
  
"Well...how do I, I mean, what do I do? Kakkarot would never let me be alone with her!"  
  
"Maybe not right now, but I think that if you prove to him that you can be a real gentleman, maybe he'll warm up to you a little! I wouldn't worry too much about him."  
  
Vegeta stood up, taking in all of this new information. Trunks smiled at how bewildered his father was by all of this, and also his success in distracting him from being in trouble! He finally looked down at his son. "I need some time to think about this. I'll see you tomorrow morning!"  
  
"Goodnight," Trunks said as his father headed towards the door.  
  
When Vegeta was half way out, he turned back to Trunks. "Oh, and Trunks, uh...thanks."  
  
"Any time, Dad," he replied, holding back a smile.  
  
Vegeta let a smile creep across his lips. When he caught himself in the act, he had to do something to regain his dominant ground. "And by the way, you're grounded for three days!" Vegeta turned his smile into an evil grin and walked out of his son's room, closing the door after him.  
  
Gohan opened Damry's door as softly as he could, closing it behind him. He walked slowly and softly to the side of her bed where she still slept, studying her face to make sure she was really sleeping. Once confirmed, he grinned and jumped on her bed. "AUNT DAMRY WAKE UUUUP!" he yelled as he pounced on her, knocking her to the floor with a thump.  
  
Damry screamed as she hit the ground, then grapped her nephew once she realized what had happened. "You little terd!" she screamed as she held him in a death lock and tickled him. He squirmed around in her hold screaming and laughing until Goku came in to break it up.  
  
"Come on, Gohan, I need your help outside!" he said, pulling his son off of Damry. He never looked at her or said anything, just picked up his son and carried him out under his arm. Gohan was still laughing hysterically, as was Damry.  
  
Once Goku closed the door, Damry stood up and threw her sheets back on her bed. She streached and headed into the bathroom to take a shower.  
  
Goku threw his son over the couch in the den, rustling his sloppy hair. Gohan rolled backwards and fell off the couch, then ran to his father's side. "What did you need me for, Dad?" he asked cheerfully, eager to help with whatever he needed.  
  
"Your mother needs some flour. I need you to run to the store and get some for her, along with some rice for tonight's supper. Once your aunt gets out of the shower, have her take you to the grocery store, okay?"  
  
"Sure, Dad!" he agreed. Goku smiled down at his son and handed him $10.  
  
Goku kneeled down to his son's level and whispered softly, "Oh, and son, use whatever's left over for some candy, but don't tell your mom!" Gohan smiled thankfully at his father and ran eagerly into his room to get dressed.  
  
Vegete stumbled into the kitchen as usual to get his breakfast, but only found his son scraping week old food off of their dished. "This is the most repulsive job in the world!" he grumbled.  
  
Vegeta snickered to himself and sat down at the kitchen table. "Should I even ask for some food?" he grumbled in Trunks's direction.  
  
Trunks turned around to face his father, waving a wet and slimy sponge at him. "Food? Even if we had any we wouldn't have anything to eat it on!"  
  
Vegeta shrugged. "Who needs dishes?" Trunks gave him a blank stare, not knowing what his father was getting at. He rose form his position at the table, took a half empty box of cereal from the pantry, then removed some milk from the refrigerator.  
  
"Father, that milk expired two days ago!" Trunks warned as his father poured it straight into the box.  
  
"That's just the sell by date, it's really good for another three days! Trust me, if you don't have to chew it, it's still good!" Vegeta removed a huge serving spoon from the drawer, one of the few pieces of silverware left, and started eating his Wheaties. Trunks could only laugh.  
  
"How crafty! I commend you, Father!" Trunks smiled and turned back to his dishes as his father slumped back into his chair. As soon as Vegeta finished, he tossed the box into the pile of garbage they called the 'trash can', wiped the spoon off on his pants, and put it back in the drawer. Trunks shook his head at Vegeta as he headed out of the kitchen.  
  
Vegeta was about to leave, but stopped. "Trunks, we really need some food," he said grumpily.  
  
"Well what do you want me to do about that? I'm still working on the last thing you asked me to do!" Trunks scrubbed at a plate with some kind of red sauce with something growing on it.  
  
"Fine, I'll go to the store, then! How hard can shopping be?" Vegeta crossed his arms across his bare chest and Trunks wiped the plate dry.  
  
"Harder than you think! There are about 800 kinds of rice, and the cereal aisle is endless!"  
  
"So I get the rice in the blue bag and some Wheaties, simple! I think I can handle it, Trunks! Now, where's the grocery list?" Trunks reluctantly handed over the list that was taped to the fridge to his father who looked it over, then smiled. "Great, I'll be right back!"  
  
Trunks rolled his eyes and went back to the dishes.  
  
Gohan and Damry wandered into the grocery store and headed back towards the rice. He was telling Damry a story about how Piccolo making a sauce for their fish out of some berries they had found on the mountain. Damry listened enthusiastically, pretending like she was hearing the story for the first time. Once they turned into the aisle, though, she stopped in her tracks. Vegeta was was looking helplessly at the endless wall of rice, all in blue packages.  
  
Gohan ran over to him without hesitation. "Hey, Vegeta! I didn't know you did the food shopping!"  
  
Vegeta surprisingly enough smiled down at Gohan. "Well, Trunks is busy and we're about to starve, so I was recruited this time." He looked up momentarily at Damry with a weak smile. "Hi..."  
  
Damry smiled in return and she tried not to look in his eyes, but couldn't help it. She was trapped yet again in his gaze, and he was trapped in hers. Gohan was planted right in the middle of their line of vision, but neither noticed him looking back and forth between the two. He scratched his head and finally said something. "Are you okay, Vegeta? You look kind of sick!"  
  
Vegeta and Damry both jumped a little, snapping back into reality. Vegeta had looked like a school boy. His eyes were softer than Gohan had ever seen, and they both were wearing some goofy smile. Vegeta's eyes turned hard again and he frowned at Gohan. "I'm fine, you brat. Now, which rice is the best?"  
  
Damry finally walked over to them. "Don't ask him, he'll give you the stuff pre-soaked in butter and salt!" Gohan innocuously smiled up at Damry, blushing a little.  
  
"Oh, then I supposed I should ask you, huh?" he said with a hint of challenge in his voice.  
  
"And who else would you ask?" He only smiled again, but Damry broke their eye contact before he could distract her. She grabbed a few packages of rice and handed them to Vegeta.  
  
He studied the rice for a second, then tossed them into his cart. "Thanks," he said after grabbing a few more. He then looked at the next thing on the list: flour. "Hey, I don't suppose you know what the best kind of flour is, too, do you?"  
  
Damry drinned. "What a coincadence, that's next on our list, too!" Damry lead the way to an aisle full of baking supplies. She took a package of flour for each of them off of the shelf and smiled. "Anything else?" Vegeta studied his list, then gave her a helpless look. Damry took the list from him and read it over, then smiled. "Easy! Gohan, you go ahead an check out. Tell Goku I'll be home a little late, okay?"  
  
Gohan nodded. "Okay, Aunt Damry!" He grinned and ran towards the candy aisle. After an uncomfortable moment of silence, Damry lead the way towards the next aisle. For the next hour, Damry helped Vegeta find everything on his list. They were getting along perfectly, laughing and talking about anything on their minds, and even made fun of the guy on the Wheaties box. Of course they were flirting the whole time, but it was comfortable. They were finally opening up to each other, and Vegeta was showing Damry the side of him that wasn't a complete jerk.  
  
Once they were in the check out line, a thought passed through Damry's head. "Umm, Vegeta? How did you get here?"  
  
He shrugged, not knowing why that was important. "I flew, of course!"  
  
Damry nodded. "That's what I was afraid of! How do you expect to get all of this home?"  
  
Vegeta looked at the overflowing cart of food, then back up to Damry. "Good point...we could just 'borrow' the cart for an hour or so!"  
  
Damry laughed a little, "Are you kidding? You want to steal the cart?" She lowered her head so the check out boy wouldn't hear them.  
  
"Why not? They have 500 of those things sitting out there! They won't miss it!" They both grinned. Vegeta wrote a check for all the food and pushed the cart outside. They both grabbed a side and took off towards Vegeta's house.  
  
Damry and Vegeta burst through the front door, laughing hysterically. They wheeled in the cart and tried to catch their breath, but were immediately silenced when they saw Goku standing before them with his arms crossed and his eyes narrowed. Trunks was nowhere to be seen.  
  
Damry stepped up to her brother and Vegeta lowered his head, knowing what he was in for. "Goku, what on Earth are you doing here?" Goku didn't speak, just narrowed his eyes even more. He never took his eyes off of Vegeta. Damry pushed his shoulder to get him to look at her. "Here to save me, are you? Well I've got some news for you, Goku! The only person I need saving from is you!"  
  
Goku's eyes softened as he looked at his frowning sister. "Damry, how could you say that? You and I both know what kind of person Vegeta is!"  
  
"No, Goku! You think you know who he is, but you don't! Vegeta can be such a wonderful person, Goku! You just haven't seen it!"  
  
Goku interrupted her, not wanting to hear it. "It's fake, Damry! If he was really such a wonderful person, then why would he mask it with his grumpiness? How can you possibly fall for that?"  
  
Damry lowered her voice, not wanting to yell any more. "Goku, listen to me. The ice cream is melting and if we don't put it away soon, it will be a milk shake. So I am going to help Vegeta put these things away, and then I'll come right home. We'll talk about this under our own roof, okay?"  
  
Goku lowered his voice, too, but it was still stern. "I'm not leaving you here alone with him!"  
  
"Goku, Trunks is here. Do you honestly think something would happen with Trunks in the house?"  
  
Goku looked towards Trunks's room where he was talking to Rita on the phone, then back to his sister. "Come straight home!" Damry nodded. Goku brushed past her and ran out the door, knocking into Vegeta on his way by. Vegeta just rolled his eyes and pushed the cart into the kitchen.  
  
"I'm really sorry about him, Vegeta. He's just so over protective!" Damry took the ice cream out of a bag and put it straight into the freezer.  
  
Vegeta put the contents of a couple more bags away before he responded. "I guess he and I are on the same boat. I don't want Trunks being around that Rita girl any more than Kakkarot wants you being around me!"  
  
"I've met Rita, she's a really sweet girl! Why would you object to him seeing her?" Damry arranged some fruit in a bowl that Trunks had left out.  
  
"She's completely taking over his mind! He's been doing very poorly in his training, and his grades have dropped!" Vegeta didn't sound as much angry as he did dissappointed. Damry almost smiled, knowing that Vegeta really cared about his son.  
  
"He's in love, Vegeta! He's a teenage boy and he's in love! It was bound to happen to him eventually!"  
  
"I don't see why, it never happened to me!" Vegeta caught himself saying that too late and saw Damry look down. Damn, that's not what I meant! I mean it hasn't happened to me until now! Vegeta said to himself, knowing it was too late now.  
  
Damry put the last of the groceries away and walked towards the door. "Well, I'm glad you're so strong, Vegeta. Some of us can't help how we feel. It's a real burden, you know?" Vegeta's heart sank at the saddness in her voice. He quickly walked to her before she could leave the kitchen and tilted her chin up with a soft hand.  
  
"What makes you think that I can control the way I feel, Damry?" he said in almost a whisper. His eyes sank into her and the butterflies returned to her stomach.  
  
"Well, like you said, you've never been in love. You've been married before, had a son, and yet you've never been in love. You must have a heart of stone." Damry hadn't meant for her words to be insulting, but the pain was obvious in Vegeta's eyes.  
  
"Well then you must be pretty strong, Damry, because somehow you made your way into my heart of stone!" They both paused for a moment, not believing that Vegeta was capable of saying such things. He amazed even himself sometimes. When she smiled softly at him, he smiled back, relieved that he didn't say the wrong thing. He reched up and softly stroked her cheek. He leaned down to finally kiss her, when the buzzing of the oven timer made them both jump. "One of these days, Damry," he said with a bit of a laugh as he walked over to turn it off. Trunks ran into the kitchen to turn it off, but when he saw that Vegeta already had, he stopped. "Hey, Damry! I see you survived Goku's wrath!"  
  
Damry laughed a little and crossed her arms. "Barely! I guess he broke Gohan down. I can't even do someone a favor without him breathing down my neck!"  
  
"Yeah, well, he'll get over it. Just give him some time to adjust!"  
  
Vegeta leaned against the door frame and crossed his arms. "What was the timer for, Trunks?" he asked curiously.  
  
"Oh, my show's on! 'Roadkill: Caught on Tape!' Care to watch it with me?" he asked both of them.  
  
Vegeta and Damry both looked a bit disgusted. "No, I don't think so. Goku is expecting me so he can raise hell yet again," Damry replied.  
  
Trunks shrugged. "Good luck! Oh, and I was going to stop by later, but...I'm sort of grounded for three days. So I guess I'll just see you tomorrow!"  
  
Damry smiled at Vegeta. "Grounded, huh? Well, you can tell me all about your little misadventures tomorrow! Enjoy your show, okay?" She patted Trunks's shoulder on her way out and smiled softly at Vegeta. He followed her to the door.  
  
"Thanks for helping me out, Damry. I would still be trying to figure out which rice to get if it weren't for you!" He tried to hide his nervousness, but Damry saw straight through him.  
  
"Any time, Vegeta! I'll see you tomorrow, right?" He nodded in response and trapped her with his smile. Before she planted herself in another awkward situation, she looked down.  
  
Vegeta rubbed his neck and opened the door for her. "I'll see you tomorrow." Damry smiled softly at him and took off, hurrying back towards home. Vegeta watched her until she was out of sight, then closed the door. Trunks was leaning against the wall with his arms crossed, smirking. "What?" Vegeta asked, walking towards the kitchen to get some lunch.  
  
"Oh, I think you know! You were practiaclly drooling over her!" Trunks apporached his father slowly, causing Vegeta to cower. He knew Trunks was right.  
  
"Well, what do you expect? She's amazing! I don't have to pretend around her, I can totally be myself!"  
  
Trunks stopped, his smile melting into a frown. "So that Vegeta I saw today...the happy one...that's yourself?"  
  
Vegeta nodded, smiling a little. "She somehow managed to force it out of me!"  
  
"So...you can be yourself around her, but you can't be yourself around me? Your own son? I've been living with you for three years and this is the most we've ever talked!" Trunks sat down on the arm of the couch, and Vegeta sat down beside him.  
  
He thought for a moment, understanding exactly what his son was saying. He sighed, trying to find the right words. "Trunks, you have to understand someting. I never wanted to be a father, and when your mother told me that she was pregnant, I was pretty much forced into marriage. Every time I look at you, I see her. But recently, I have realized how much you and I are really alike! You may have your mother's hair, but you have a lot of my attitude. No matter how hard I try to overlook it, you are my son."  
  
Trunks was speechless. He was sure he must have just imagined his father saying those words. He looked down at him. Vegeta's arms were crossed and his head was down. Trunks knew how hard it must have been for his father to say all that. "I made a few mistakes, too, Father. I came here expecting you to welcome me with open arms, play catch with me in the yard, and give me back the years I never had with you. I overlooked how hard it is for you to suddenly have a teenage son living with you and expecting you to be Father of the Year. A relationship like that takes a lot of work. I'm sorry I put all of that on your shoulders." Vegeta looked up at his son and smiled. Trunks smiled back down at him, then stood up. "So, you want a sandwhich or something?"  
  
Vegeta rose and followed Trunks into the kitchen. "Yeah, that sounds great!"  
  
Damry entered the house calmly, expecting to be greeted by Goku's angry stare. However, the house was empty, with the exception of Chichi in the kitchen. Her stomach grumbled and Damry rubbed it. She had spent the entire morning around food and hadn't eaten in 24 hours! She snuck into the kitchen where Chichi was cleaning up from feeding Goku and Gohan.  
  
"Sit down, Damry," she said without turning around. Damry lowered her head and sat down at the table. Chichi walked to the fridge, pulled out a plate, and stuck it in the microwave for a few minutes. She went back to washing until the food was done, and she set the plate in front of Damry. Before Damry could thank her, Chichi spoke agian. "Goku has been worried sick about you," she said softly.  
  
"Yeah, I know...where is he? I know he's ready to tear me apart!" Damry pushed the food around on her plate, then took a bite of rice.  
  
"He took Gohan to the lake for a bit. He'll be back for dinner. I promised him I would talk to you." Damry nodded and took another bite, glad that Goku was finally letting Chichi do the yelling. "I don't see what the big deal is, to tell you the truth. I mean, you're a very bright, strong woman and I have all the confidance in the world that you can handle yourself! After all, you're almost thirty! Goku and I were married much younger than that! He just needs to lay off!"  
  
Damry swallowed a mouthful, surprised at what Chichi was saying. "That's what I've been trying to tell him, but he just won't listen to me! It's like my feelings don't matter, as long as I do what he says!"  
  
"Now, Damry, you know he's doing all of this out of love, he just needs to see that you need more than brotherly love!"  
  
"Exactly! And it's not like Vegeta and I are dating or anything! We've just been spending a little more time together, that's all! We haven't even kissed yet!"  
  
It was Chichi's turn to look surprised. "You mean you and Vegeta just...talk?"  
  
Damry nodded, taking another bite of her lunch. "Well, we talk and laugh and have a great time together! He's really a wonderful man! He just needed a reason to show it, that's all!"  
  
"Wow, the way Goku is carrying on I was under the impression that you two were sleeping together!"  
  
Damry's eyes widened and she started coughing. Chichi quickly filled her up a glass of water and handed it to her, which she quickly drank. "Thanks...but of course we're not sleeping together! First of all, we're rarely alone, and secondly, we haven't even been on a date yet! I'm not that easy, Chichi!"  
  
"Well, I must say that is a relief! I knew you were smart, Damry! So, tell me, what do you two talk about?" Chichi propped her chin up on her hands and rested her elbows on the table, grinning at the intake of the new information.  
  
Damry grinned back. "Well, at first it was mainly about Trunks, or we would one-up each other about who's stronger, things like that! But then this morning at the grocery store, we had the most amazing conversation! We started talking about Goku and how over-protective he is, but then he was telling me about how much family matters and stuff! He was very insightful! He even used big words! Then we just started goofing off and having fun! First, we went around puting packages of condoms in everyone's carts, then we tried to make an ice cream sunday in the middle of aisle 5, then we took all the prizes out of the cereal boxes and put them in the ant killer!"  
  
Chichi giggled at each remark. "That sounds completely adolecent! What a blast! I can't picture Vegeta doing any of those things!"  
  
"Well, it appears that he had a very mischevious childhood! He knew all the tricks in the book! It was fantastic! I've never had so much fun in my entire life!"  
  
Damry finished her lunch and Chichi cleared her plate. Damry thanked her for filling her up, then departed for Piccolo's. He was always fun to chat with on Sunday afternoons. Instead of going straight to Piccolo's, however, she decided to fly around for a while. The feeling of wind rippling through her hair had a soothing affect on her. The fact that she could be completely alone up there made her feel confident and at peace with herself.  
  
She stayed as far away from the lake as possible, not wanting Goku to think she was going back to Vegeta's. She saw Piccolo's small cabin come into view in a small clearing in a forest right beside a lake. She envied Piccolo for living in such serenity, but Piccolo complained about it often. She spotted him laying down in a canoe in the middle of his lake with his hands behind his head. He was wearing his swimsuit and some sunglasses, looking almost normal.  
  
Damry landed on the edge of the lake and Piccolo sat up, rowing back towards her. "Hey," he called from his canoe.  
  
"Hey," she responded. "Catching some sun?"  
  
"Yeah, can you tell if I've gotten any greener?" Damry laughed a little and Piccolo climbed out to greet her with a hug. "I was worried about you. Thought Goku had torn you to pieces!"  
  
"Are you kidding? He's all talk! He'd never touch me!" Piccolo kept an arm around her as he lead her inside. He took off his sunglasses and tossed them on a table, then headed into the kitchen to grab then some iced tea. Damry relaxed in one of his chairs and thankfully accepted the tea. Piccolo had loaded it full of sugar, just how she liked it.  
  
"So, what have you been up to today?" he asked between sips.  
  
"I went to the grocery store with Gohan this morning. We saw Vegeta there!"  
  
"Vegeta? Grocery shopping? Is Trunks sick?"  
  
Damry laughed, then set her tea on a small table. "No, he was at home doing chores. He's grounded for something. He was pretty lost!"  
  
"So...you helped him?"  
  
"Of course! Then I sent Gohan home and got a little alone time with him. We had a blast!" Damry told Piccolo about all the trouble they had gotten themselves into, making Piccolo laugh.  
  
"You mean Vegeta actually did all that? You two are insane!"  
  
"Well, he's a really fun guy to be around! I haven't laughed so hard in months! And the best part is, I don't feel sick any more!"  
  
"Really? Yeah, I noticed you got the color back in your face. But I also noticed you didn't eat dinner last night."  
  
"Well, Goku had me really mad. But then Vegeta came back and sat with me for a while. He made me feel much better!"  
  
Piccolo stirred the sugar from the bottom of his glass. "Have you kissed him yet?" Damry shook her head. Piccolo looked shocked. "Really? Not even once?"  
  
"We've come close, but something always interrupts us!" Damry took a few more sips of her tea, then set it down again.  
  
"Well, maybe there's a reason for that," Piccolo suggested.  
  
"You mean like a sign?"  
  
"Could be." Damry nodded, thinking about Piccolo's suggestion. "Or maybe it's just not time yet." Damry liked his second suggestion better. He smiled reassuringly at her and kicked his feet up on the table.  
  
"Thanks for everything, Piccolo," Damry said as she made her way over to the door six hours later. She handed Piccolo his towel back from after their spontaneous swim and gave him a tight hug.  
  
"Any time, Damry," he said softly, hugging his friend tightly back. She waved to him as she shot into the sky towards home.  
  
She glanced at her watch. It was 7:00, so she would be home in time for a lecture from Goku. She flew right over the lake. Gohan and Goku had already left. She landed on the doorstep a few minutes later and stepped inside. Goku, Gohan, and Krillin were sitting on the couch, glued to the TV.  
  
"Hey, Aunt Damry, come quick! They're showing an encore episode of 'Roadkill: Caught on Tape!" Gohan said, never prying his eyes off of the screen. Damry winced at the sound of screaming animals and squishing sounds.  
  
"Maybe some other time, Gohan," she said, hurrying to her room. She collapsed on her bed, closing her exhausted eyes. Before she could fall asleep, a soft knock came at her door. She moaned and threw a pillow over her face, but that didn't stop Goku from walking in.  
  
Goku laughed a little when he saw his sister with a pillow over her face. "Tired?" he asked softly, closing the door behind him. Damry moaned again and he kneeled beside her. "Yeah, me too."  
  
Damry didn't remove the pillow from her head. "What do you want, Goku?" she asked.  
  
Goku pulled the pillow off of her. "What?"  
  
"I said, what do you want?"  
  
Goku smashed the pillow back onto her. "To talk to you, of course!"  
  
Damry pulled it off of her and placed it back behind her head. "Oh, is now convenient for you?"  
  
"What are you talking about, Damry?"  
  
"You haven't spoken to me since yesterday when you tried to beat the crap out of Vegeta for no apparent reason! Ring a bell?"  
  
"Of course I remember, Damry. That's what I want to talk to you about!" Damry rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. "I admit, I over reacted yesterday. I just found out that you two haven't even kissed yet! I'm really sorry, Damry. I know that you can handle yourself, it's just hard for me to let you go after all these years! But I guess it's about time, huh?"  
  
Damry tried not to smile. "Yeah, it is!" Goku put a hand on her arm and stood back up. "So does this mean I'm allowed to see Vegeta?"  
  
Goku frowned, not wanting to approve. "You do whatever you feel is right, Damry." Damry smiled a little at Goku, hoping to soften up his frown. He rolled his eyes and smiled back kneeling back down beside her with open arms. Damry hugged him tightly, glad to be back on her brother's good side. Goku returned the tight embrace, smiling to himself. "I hope I didn't make you too mad, Damry. You know I love you no matter what!"  
  
"I know you do, Goku! And don't worry, no matter how mad you make me, I'll always love you!"  
  
Goku released her and stood up again. "Now, won't you please come watch Roadkill: Caught on Tape with us?"  
  
Damry looked quite disgusted. "No way, Goku! That's disgusting!"  
  
Goku just laughed and walked out of Damry's room. She closed her eyes and smiled, finally getting some peaceful rest.  
  
Vegeta took the lid off of the boiling pot of pasta to test a noodle. "I think it needs a few more minutes, Trunks," he said to his son who was puting some rolls in the oven.  
  
"Okay, how's the meat?"  
  
Vegeta lifted the lid on the ground sirloin. "It's ready!"  
  
"Okay, now take the spaghetti sauce and pour it onto the meat!" Trunks watched his father successfully pour the jar of sauce onto the meat and stir it up. "Look, Dad! You just made spaghetti sauce!"  
  
Vegeta was glowing. "I did, didn't I? I'll be running my own resteraunt in no time!" Trunks gave his father a congratulating high-five, then got out the strainer.  
  
"Now Dad, this is called a strainer. It's just a bowl with some holes in it. See, we put this in the sink, then pour the spaghetti into the bowl so that it drains out the water!" Vegeta nodded and took the strainer. He put it in the sink, then poured the spaghetti noodles into the strainer. "Great job, Dad!" Trunks said to him as if he were talking to a kindergartener.  
  
"Now what?" Vegeta asked eagerly.  
  
"Now's the best part!" Trunks exclaimed, getting out two bowls and forks. "Now all the hard work pays off!" Trunks piled the two plates high with spaghetti and topped it off with sauce and some cheese. They both eagerly dug in, slurping up every noodle.  
  
"It tastes so much better when you make it yourself," Vegeta said, his mouth full of noodles. He swallowed, then gulpled down some milk. "I could get used to this! Cooking is actually quite fun!"  
  
"I knew you'd like it! Hey, I'll tell you what! You let me skip two days of training a week, and I'll give you a cooking lesson for the other three nights!"  
  
Vegeta swallowed another mouth full of spaghetti. "Why do you need two nights off," he asked, but not angrily.  
  
"Well, honestly, I'd like to spend some more time out of school with Rita. I mean, things are getting pretty serious with her..." When Vegeta didn't answer right away, Trunks got nervous.  
  
Then, out of nowhere, Vegeta said, "Sure, I don't see why not. As long as you get your grades up. But remember, you owe me two more days. You will train with me all this week, and then starting next week you can go to Rita's house after school on Tuesday and Thursday. Fair enough?"  
  
Trunks was astonished, but he quickly aggreed. "That's great! Thanks a lot, Dad!" Vegeta smiled a little, then finished up his spaghetti. Trunks cleared the table and put the dishes in the sink.  
  
"Hey Trunks, maybe we should start doing the dishes every night from now on," Vegeta suggested.  
  
Trunks laughed a little. "What, are you serious?"  
  
"Well, maybe that way it won't take an entire day to do them at the end of the week! It will only take a few minutes after each meal!" He stood up and walked to the sink. He took his gloves off and set them on the counter, then started rinsing off the two dinner plates. "Hey, look! The sauce comes right off when there isn't stuff growing on it!"  
  
The five minute warning bell rang as Rita opened her locker. There was a rose taped to the inside of the door along with a note. She smiled and smelled the crimson rose and read the note.  
  
since feeling is first  
  
who pays any attention  
  
to the syntax of things  
  
will never wholly kiss you;  
  
wholly to be a fool  
  
while Spring is in the world  
  
my blood approves,  
  
and kisses are a better fate  
  
than wisdom  
  
lady i swear by all flowers.ÊÊÊÊDon't cry  
  
Ñthe best gesture of my brain is less than  
  
your eyelids' flutter which says  
  
we are for each other:then  
  
laugh,leaning back in my arms  
  
for life's not a paragraph  
  
And death i think is no parenthesis  
  
-e e cummings  
  
Always,  
  
Trunks  
  
Damry grinned evily at her brother, who stood only feet away from her. He grinned back. "You're pretty confident for someone who just got the tar beaten out of them!" he said proudly.  
  
"And you're pretty confident for someone who's about to get the tar beaten out of them!" she yelled back.  
  
"Is that a challenge?" he asked with a wry smile.  
  
Damry's only response was a smirk and a quick blow to the head. Goku shook it off and threw a punch at her, but she easily ducked. Damry retalliated with a series of punches and kicks, only a few of which Goku blocked or dodged. She knocked him to the ground and laughed. "Come on, Goku! Quit holding back on me!"  
  
"Well," Goku said as he winced and stood up, "I wouldn't want to hurt you!" He rubbed his sore chin and got back in a fighting position, ready for her to attack again. Damry charged him, but Goku grabbed her foot and tossed her over his shoulder onto her back. "You told me not to hold back," he said defensively, helping her up.  
  
Damry dusted hereself off and regained her ground. "Well I didn't mean for you to go super saiyan on me!"  
  
Goku laughed. "Don't be silly, Damry! You know I'm saving that for Vegeta!" Damry smirked and threw a few more punches at Goku. They got a good workout before Chichi called them in for lunch.  
  
Damry and Goku raced through the door and blasted into the kitchen where Chichi had burgers waiting for them. "Where's Vegeta? I thought he was coming today," Goku said between bites.  
  
"I'm not sure, he told me he'd be here," Damry responded, sipping her lemonaid.  
  
"Well maybe you should go over there, Damry! Make sure everything's okay," Goku suggested.  
  
"Are you serious? You actually want tme to go over there and be alone in the house with him?" Damry took another gulp of lemonaid, and Goku had captured Chichi's attention.  
  
"Well I'm not saying you should go make out with him or anything, just check on him! Make sure he's not sick or something!" Goku didn't seem like it was that big of a deal as he finished his burger. "You gonna eat that," he asked, grabbing Damry's burger from her plate.  
  
Damry frowned. "No, go ahead. Okay, I'll be back in a few. Hopefully with Vegeta!" Goku and Chichi nodded and Damry took off for Vegeta's house.  
  
Damry knocked on Vegeta's door, but there was no answer. She knocked again, but still heard nothing. Thinking the worst, she opened the door and stepped inside. "Vegeta?" she called. She could hear crashing from the kitchen which was emitting a very inviting smell. She swallowed hard and walked slowly to the kitchen. "Vegeta?" she yelled again, still no answer. She braced herself, then swung open the door to the kitchen.  
  
She gasped when she found Vegeta hovering over steaming pots and pans wearing jeans and an unbuttoned flannel shirt with headphones covering his ears. He was humming something and it looked like he was actually dancing while he added some spices to one of the pans. He turned around to get something off of the table and jumped when he saw Damry. He quickly tore off his headphones and smiled sheepishly. "Hey, Damry! Uh...how long have you been there?"  
  
Damry tried not to laugh. Vegeta was covered in flour and had a smudge of something on his cheek. "Long enough to know that you're an incredible dancer!"  
  
Vegeta moaned and looked down, kicking himself for not locking the front door. "Well, thanks, Damry. Uh, sorry about the mess, I was just whipping up some lunch."  
  
Damry glanced over at the pots and pans, then at the oven. "Just whipping up some lunch? It looks like the kitchen of a resteraunt back here! I had no idea you could cook!"  
  
Vegeta pulled out a chair for her and she sat down as Vegeta checked on his food. "Neither did I! But Trunks and I made spaghetti last night and had a lot of fun, so he let me borrow this cook book for the day! He's gonna start giving me lessons three times a week, it's a great deal!"  
  
Damry grinned, not believing it. "Wow, it sounds like you and Trunks are getting along pretty well!"  
  
"Yeah, we are! I just realized how much we really have in common!" Vegeta emptied some pasta into the strainer, then poured it back into the pot and dumped some white sauce in with it, stirring it around. He added some salt and pepper, then tested a noodle. "Not bad!" He added the vegetables he was steaming and took it off the heat. "I have a ton of food here, care to help me eat it?"  
  
Damry was still amazed that Vegeta was able to boil water. "I-I'd love to! I mean, that would be great!"  
  
Vegeta grinned excitedly and pulled the baked chicken out of the oven. He put it on a cutting board and started dicing it while telling Damry about his conversation with Trunks the previous night, including why he was grounded. "I hope this brings us closer, I just realized that I have completely wasted three years with my son. As soon as he graduates, he's going back home, you know. That doesn't give us much time, less than a year! I wish I could just start over with him. I really don't want him to go back!"  
  
"Well, there's still time, Vegeta! Just tell Bulma that you want to spend weekends with Trunks from now on! She'll let you, won't she?"  
  
"I don't think it's that easy, Damry. Bulma still thinks I'm a bad influence and all that good stuff, so I don't think I have much of a chance with him right now. He's five now, I think. I'm pretty sure, anyway." Vegeta shoved the chicken off of the cutting board into his bowl, then put it back on the heat to keep it warm. He added a little bit of milk, then put the lid on.  
  
"There's no problem with just asking, is there? Maybe you two can work something out!"  
  
"Damry, I haven't spoken to her in over a year. I send her child support, but that's the only contact we make! I wouldn't know what to say." Vegeta sat down across from her, after flipping the chair backwards.  
  
"Just call her! Ask her how Trunks is doing, tell her that you and Future Trunks are getting along great, and that you want to get an early start so that you two can get close to him while he's still young! She does know that Trunks is visiting from the future, right?"  
  
Vegeta nodded, resting his chin on the back of the chair and staring at the table. "Maybe I'll call her later on. I really do want to see Trunks, it's been so long. He's my son..."  
  
Damry wasn't sure what to say. She couldn't tell him that she knew how he felt, because she didn't. She had no idea. However, she did know that she would miss Trunks just as much as he would when he left, and it would be equally hard on both of them. She wanted to get to know Trunks at a young age, as well.  
  
After thinking for a while, Vegeta jumped up and stirred his pasta. "Well, it looks pretty done to me!"  
  
"Great! It smells wonderful! What is it exactly?"  
  
"Fetucinni Alfredo with steamed vegetables and baked lemon chicken," he dished some out and placed it before her, garnishing it with pepper and parsley, and whispered in her ear so that their cheeks brushed together, "a la Vegeta!" He was tempted to kiss her cheek, but decided against it. When the time was right, he would have his kiss.  
  
Damry closed her eyes for the brief moment that their faces were so close, then watched as he piled some pasta onto his own dish. He didn't garnish his like he had with hers, making her feel extra special. Before he sat down, however, he opened up a cabinet and took out two candles and set them on the table, lighting them, then closing the blinds in the window above the sink. "This is about as romantic as this kitchen gets," he said with a smile as he sat down in front of her.  
  
"No, it's perfect!" Damry smiled softly at him, which he returned.  
  
Once Vegeta was finished starting at Damry, he eagerly suggested for her to dig in, which they both did. Damry was almost afraid to eat it, knowing that Vegeta only had a few hours of cooking experiance. However, the pasta was surprisingly delicious! The sauce was creamy, the chicken was delicious, and the vegetables were perfectly tender.  
  
"Vegeta, this is amazing!" Damry said after a few bites. It was hard to stop! This was a huge change from Chichi's quick and easy dinners.  
  
"Well, it's only my first try," he said modestly. "I wasn't really planning on eating it all, I just wanted to see if I could cook it! It's really fun, Damry! You should come over some night and make dinner with Trunks and me!"  
  
Damry smiled, trying not to blush. "That would be great, Vegeta! I'd love to learn how to cook like this!" It took them well over an hour to eat all of Vegeta's pasta. They only took small bites between sentences. Their conversation could have gone on forever, but when Damry glanced at the clock on the oven, she nearly choked. "I've been here for over an hour!" she exclaimed, almost in a panic.  
  
"Yes, is that...bad?" Vegeta asked sheepishly, hoping that he hadn't made her late for something.  
  
"Well, I'll find that out when I get home! I was just supposed to come over here to make sure you were okay since you hadn't shown up this morning! I guess I lost track of time!" Damry spoke calmly and smiled, not wanting to ruin the perfect lunch.  
  
"Oh, yes, I guess I should have called. It just slipped my mind! I was so excited about looking through Trunks's cook book that I just forgot! Sorry about that, Damry!" Vegeta cleared their plates and put them in the sink. He was about to walk away from them, when he remembered. He smiled and rinsed them off, then dried them with a towel.  
  
"Don't worry about it! I was just surprised that Goku was the one who told me to come check on you!" Damry helped him clear the table and dried off the pots after he rinsed them.  
  
"He did? Wow, that's weird...did something happen? Maybe Chichi let him have it, or something..."  
  
"Yeah, maybe...He seemed pretty okay with it, though! Maybe he's warming up to you a little! You should join us this afternoon for a little sparring before Trunks and Gohan come home!"  
  
Vegeta nodded. "I'm sure Trunks will go straight to your house before he comes home. He'll want to tell you everything I told you earlier! He's very fond of you, Damry. He thinks of you like a sister!"  
  
Damry smiled, obviously flattered. "Well, he's a good kid, Vegeta. I don't know how he weasled his way into my heart like he has!" Vegeta looked over at her from his position at the sink and she finished drying the last pot. "Probably because he's so much like his father!"  
  
Vegeta smiled softly, understanding what she was trying to say. The candle light flickered through the room, casting ornate shadows on their faces. Vegeta knew that if he was ever going to kiss her, it had to be now. They were alone, just had a perfect candle lit meal together, and the bond between them was growing every second. The exact same thoughts were running through Damry's head. Vegeta smiled softly, brushing a stray hair behind her ear, then, leaving his hand on her cheek, he pulled her closer. Damry was sure he could feel her heart pounding through her chest.  
  
This is finally it! they were both saying to themselves. Vegeta brought his face closer and closer to Damry's. Damry could almost feel his lips on hers, but they were abruptly torn apart when a knock at the window caused both of them to jump back. "Kami!" Damry yelled in shock. Vegeta frowned frusturatedly and raised the blinds.  
  
"Oh, great, it's Kakkarot!" he said as Goku waved happily at them. Damry blew out the candles, which had burned as much as they could, and threw them away. Vegeta grumbled as he strormed over to the front door to let him in.  
  
"Damry just took so long, I got worried!" Goku said in his normal cheerful voice. "So, Chichi sent me over to make sure everything was okay!"  
  
"Oh, she did, did she?" Damry asked skeptically as she emerged from the kitchen.  
  
Goku's hands flew up in defense. "She did, I swear! It wasn't me this time! Hey, why are the lights out in the kitchen? For a second, I didn't think anyone was home!" Neither one answered. They shot frusturated and disappointed glares at Goku, which he finally understood. "Oooh, I see...sorry, uh...I'll leave! But the kids are coming home in about half an hour, so I just thought you guys would want to be there." Goku smiled appologetically and headed back out the door, but Damry followed him.  
  
"We'll come with you," she stated, grabbing Vegeta's hand on her way by and leading him outside. When she realized what she had done, she quickly dropped it. "I, uh...want to get a little work in before Trunks and Gohan get home and everyone else shows up. I need to talk to Trunks, and I promised Gohan I'd help him with his algebra, so I don't think I'll get much done before dinner unless I go now."  
  
Goku and Vegeta both nodded in agreement and they all three took off towards Goku's house. Chichi had a tray of lemonaid waiting for them when they arrived. "Oh, hello Vegeta! I'm glad you could join us today!"  
  
Vegeta gave Chichi a friendly smile and took a glass of lemonaid. "Well, I just had a few things to do around the house before I could come. I'm sorry if I caused any inconvenience!" Vegeta took another lemonaid for Damry and joined her a few feet away.  
  
Goku and Chichi stood bewildered. "Did Vegeta just smile at me?" Chichi asked her husband.  
  
"Did Vegeta just appologize?" Goku responded. They watched Vegeta hand Damry her lemonaid and said something to make Damry laugh. "Is that Vegeta at all?!"  
  
Vegeta put a hand on Damry's shoulder, then turned to Goku. "Hey, Goku! Are we gonna start or what?"  
  
Goku stumbled backwards and Chichi grabbed his arm for support. "He called me Goku!" he managed to say. Vegeta crossed his arms and waited impatiently for Goku to decide that he was ready, then they both flew up far about the women to start fighting.  
  
A few hours later, Damry was laying on the picnic table after taking a beating from Goku as she watched the two saiyans fight far above her. Everyone else had also arrived, each picking a spot to train with a partner. She sighed and smiled, unable to stop. She went through the lunch over and over again in her mind, only Vegeta was wearing a tux and she was wearing a long blue evening gown. She closed her eyes and relaxed, despite the fact that the picnic table wasn't very comfortable. She didn't care. All she wanted was some sleep.  
  
Unfortunately for her, Gohan came running out of the house and slammed a book down on the table, right next to Damry's head. "Aunt Damry, what's the quadratic equasion again?"  
  
"Go ask Trunks!" she mumbled.  
  
"Trunks is up there!" he said, pointing to the third saiyan fighting the two older ones.  
  
Damry rubbed her eyes and moaned. "Gohan, we've been over this about a gajillion times! Didn't you write it down somewhere?"  
  
"I lost it! I think I put it in my locker, but then it wasn't there!" Gohan flipped through the pages of his book, searching for the answer.  
  
"It's not in your book somewhere?" Damry sat up reluctantly, giving her nephew a sarcastic smile.  
  
"Well I can't find the page! I forgot!" Gohan cowered a bit, not wanting to anger his grouchy and exhausted aunt.  
  
"Fine, fine! It's the opposite of b, plus or minus the square root of b squared minus 4ac, over two a. Got it?" Damry practically shouted at Gohan, but when she realized how unnecesarily cruel she had been, she smiled softly at him.  
  
"Yeah, thanks Aunt Damry!" Gohan smiled and ran inside.  
  
Damry yawned, streached her arms, and layed back down on the table. The men were slowly getting lower and lower. The noise sounded ten times louder in her head, but she did her best to ignore it. When it was finally too much for her, she sat up and swumg her legs over the side of the table. Instead of going inside to lay on the couch, however, she decided to stay and spectate the three saiyans duke it out.  
  
For a while, it looked like Vegeta was on top. He and Trunks had pretty much teamed up against Goku, but he was doing a good job of defending himself. Damry smiled to herself, thinking You're holding back, Goku! You could have them both on the ground with a swing of your fist in a heartbeat. Vegeta's holding back, too. They all are. Saving some energy to kick my ass, no doubt.  
  
Damry was soon joined by Gohan who offered her a bit of his ham and cheese sandwich, but she turned it down. "Will you check my homework tonight after dinner, Aunt Damry?" he asked with his mouth half full.  
  
She smiled down at her nephew and rustled his hair. "Of course! Are you getting your make-up work finished alright?"  
  
Gohan frowned. "No, and Mrs. McRary said that she would only help me before or after school, but I only want to be at school when I have to be!"  
  
"Aww, Gohan! You should let her help you out! What if I'm not here when you need me?" she said, puting a reassuring arm around him.  
  
"Don't be silly, Aunt Damry! You'll always be here!"  
  
"Oh, I don't know, your father damn near killed me today!" she whispered so that Chichi wouldn't hear her.  
  
"I heard that, Damry!" she faintly heard Chichi say all the way from inside. Damry's jaw dropped, not knowing how she could have possibly picked that up.  
  
Gohan stared up into the sky. Vegeta, Goku, and Trunks had gone super saiyan, meaning that Vegeta and Trunks would come crashing to the ground any minute now. Gohan sighed. "I wish Mom would let me train with you guys! What if something happens and you guys need my help? I really need this year to end!"  
  
Damry squeezed his shoulder reassuringly. "Just six more weeks, right? Then you go to junior high! If I were you, I would savor the last moments you have in elementary!"  
  
"Well, I don't know what your elementary school was like, but in an accelerated school, it's no fun at all! I'm not supposed to be learning this stuff for another three years!"  
  
"I'll have you know that I never went to a school! Your father hired Piccolo to teach me, remember?"  
  
"Atleast it was Piccolo," he mumbled. "You can actually have fun with him!"  
  
"You'd be surprised," Damry said into his ear.  
  
Before Damry could influence Gohan any more, Chichi stormed out of the house with her hands on her hips. "Gohan, get back inside right now and finish your work! There's much more where that came from, mister!"  
  
Gohan stood up, but didn't go in just yet. "But Mom, I've been working all day! Can't I have just a little tiny break?"  
  
"You've already had a little tiny break, now get inside right now!" Chichi's stare meant business.  
  
"You'd better go, Gohan. The sooner you get it done, the sooner you can come back outside!"  
  
"Oh, okay," he grumbed, then shuffled inside.  
  
Damry laughed to herself, then looked back up. When she didn't see them anywhere, she stood up and walked out to the clearing, searching the sky. Before she could react, Vegeta and Trunks came barreling into her. Goku landed a few feet away, dusting off his hands and returning to his normal power level. The three downed saiyans moaned a little.  
  
Vegeta stood up first and helped the other two up. "You know, Damry, your brother may be nice and friendly on the ground, but he's heartless in the air!"  
  
Damry smiled shyly. Vegeta's shirt had pretty much been torn clean off, but she tried not to stare. She had seen him shirtless many times, but it was all different now. Soon, the others landed and all piled inside to clean up. Damry and Chichi tended to the minor wounds that they had aquired throughout the day. Damry payed close attention to Vegeta's wounds. Goku had really let him have it, but Vegeta refused to admit that he was in any pain.  
  
Damry was about to bandage up a cut on Vegeta's arm when she got an idea. "Hey, come in the kitchen real quick, would you?" she whispered in his ear. Vegeta didn't hesitate or ask questions. He smiled softly and followed her into the kitchen without any of the others noticing. They were too busy laughing and talking.  
  
Vegeta boosted himself onto the counter. "Any specific reason we're in here?" he asked, as if he didn't know.  
  
"Just to get away from them," she said softly, taking Vegeta's wrist slowly and turning his arm over to examine his cut. "This is pretty bad, what happened?"  
  
Vegeta winced as Damry cleaned it with some alcohol solution, but he quickly hid it. "Goku caught me daydreaming. I don't know where my head was today!"  
  
Damry giggled a little as she wrapped some gauze around his cut, but didn't let go of his arm. She nervously looked up into his soft eyes and he gently brushed her hair behind her ear, then stroked her cheek soflty. She slowly ran her hands up his arms, exploring every crevice with curious fingers until she reached his shoulders. Damry slowly wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him close enough to feel his breath against hers. They were so close that they could anticipate each others movements.  
  
Their lips were almost joined when Chichi marched into the kitchen. "Damry, do you have the Neosporin? I can't figure out what I did wi-" Chichi's face turned pale when she saw the two, her eyes widening. She dropped the gauze that she held in her hands and ran quickly out of the kitchen screaming, "AAAAAH! MY EYES! MY EYES!"  
  
Damry tore herself away from Vegeta and ran out of the kitchen after her, quieting Chichi down before she told everyone what she had seen. She had fallen to her knees, hugging her arms, and Goku had rushed to her side. Damry kneeled beside her, but Chichi didn't seem to notice.  
  
"Chichi, what happened?" Goku asked desperately.  
  
Before Chichi could get her into any trouble, Damry cut in. "She just caught a glimpse of the cut on Vegeta's arm. It was pretty gruesome! Isn't that right, Chichi?" Damry gave her a pleading look, and Chichi nodded.  
  
"Let's get you in bed, Chichi. You've been working too hard. Damry and I will take care of dinner tonight, okay?" He helped Chichi up and helped her into their bedroom where he tucked her in and kissed her forehead. When he returned, Vegeta and Damry were fighting over the most comfortable chair in the house. "Okay, Damry, give it back!"  
  
"Not on your life, Vegeta!" Damry responded with a grin. She kicked her feet up on the table, making herself comfortable.  
  
"No, seriously, Damry! I was there first! Give me my spot back! I was really comfortable!" He gave Damry some really pathetically sad eyes, but she didn't give in.  
  
"Sit on the floor like a normal person, Vegeta! You're not a prince in this house!" She raised her nose at him like royalty and smiled. Then, Vegeta grinned evily and grabbed both of her feet. "Vegeta, cut it out!" Ignoring her pleads, he gave her feet a tug and she came crashing down to the floor with a loud thump. Vegeta made a mad dash for the chair and they both lunged at it at the same time.  
  
Damry found herself planted right in his lap. For a moment, neither one of them moved. Everyone in the room had been watching the two of them flirt, but nobody said anything. Then Damry remembered the task at hand. "Vegeta, I am going to have to insist that you give me my chair back!"  
  
"I have no idea what you're talking about! This is and always will be my chair!" Vegeta tried to keep a straight face, but his eyes were smiling.  
  
"Don't make me resort to physical force," she warned. Vegeta rolled his eyes as if he didn't believe her. "Fine, you don't think I can do it?" Damry ran her fingers across Vegeta's stomach and he burst out laughing, desperately trying to push her off. "Ha! I had a good feeling you'd be ticklish!"  
  
"Oh yeah? Well-" Vegeta retaliated by tickling her back. She squirmed around in his lap laughing hysterically, but didn't surrender herself. Goku and the others started feeling a little grossed out and decided to take a stand. Piccolo and Goku each grabbed one of Damry's arms and pulled her off of Vegeta, dumping her on the other side of the room.  
  
"Hey! You guys suck!" she said dissappointedly. When she stood up, Vegeta was relaxing in the chair victoriously.  
  
The next afternoon, Damry returned to the ground after being once again conquored by her brother. Vegeta was sitting on the picnic table and finished his water, ready for a shot at Goku. "He's ruthless," Vegeta said to the exhausted Damry as she took his spot on the table.  
  
"Yeah, tell me about it. Good luck, have fun," she wished him as he smiled and charged up his ki. Goku was waiting anxiously above them. Damry relaxed on the table and watched the two get started as usual. They had been talking a lot more before each spar lately, and Damry had no idea what could be so interesting. Soon enough, Vegeta charged at Goku and delivered a few good hits. She smiled and closed her eyes, drifting off unintentionally.  
  
Her dreams were quickly interrupted when Goku slammed his fist into Vegeta's stomach, pounding him into a nearby tree. Damry quickly jumped up and ran over to him where he was rubbing his neck, still leaning against the tree. "Are you okay, Vegeta?" she asked as she dropped next to him.  
  
Vegeta didn't give her a chance to think. He took her face in his hands and pulled her lips to his, a surge of electricity passing between the two. Damry didn't have time to react, or even fully comprehend was was happening. She wrapped her arms around his neck as he moved one hand down her back and ran his other through her hair.  
  
Goku and the others landed close to them to make sure he was okay. The second they saw the two, their jaws dropped. However, nobody could pry their eyes off of them. Vegeta and Damry continued to direct their tounges through the inner labrynths of each others mouths, all the time passionately carressing the other. Neither one could break the energy that was continually holding them together. Their audience began chuckling to themselves. All except Goku. Finally, he cleared his throat, seemingly loud enough for Vegeta and Damry to hear. However, the only thing they could hear was fireworks.  
  
Goku was growing frusturated, and he cleared his throat again, this time louder. Still, their lips remained locked. Piccolo nudged Goku's arm and whispered softly, "Lay off, Goku. This is monumental!" Piccolo signaled for everyone to leave and give the two embracers their peace, and they one by one took off.  
  
However, Goku didn't budge. His fists were clenched to the point that they lost their color and sweat dripped down his face. Finally, he exploded. "HEY, ASSHOLE! STOP TOUNGING MY SISTER!" All the birds around them flew away in fright, and the ground rubled at his booming tone.  
  
Damry finally tore herself away from Vegeta and jumped up. Her face reddened when she saw everyone still staring at her from the sky. Vegeta stood beside her, dusting the dirt from his clothes. He didn't seem at all intimidated by the super saiyan's growing fury.  
  
"Shit, he's pissed!" she said softly to Vegeta so that only he could hear. "Uh, hey, Goku!" Damry said nervously to her boiling brother. She slowly approached him nervously. His narrowed eyes were shooting daggers at her. "Listen, Goku-"  
  
"NO, YOU LISTEN!" he shouted, interrupting her. "I SACRIFICED EVERYTHING TO TAKE CARE OF YOU AND RAISE YOU TO BE WHO I THOUGH WAS A SMART AND STRONG WOMAN! I DID NOT RAISE YOU SO THAT YOU COULD THROW EVERYTHING AWAY AND WASTE ALL YOUR EMOTION ON HIM!" he pointed at Vegeta angrily who had then joined Damry by her side.  
  
"Now see here, Goku! You have no room to tell Damry what she can and cannot do, and you especially can't tell her not to love someone!" Vegeta stood defensively beside Damry and tried not to raise his voice to Goku's level.  
  
"DON'T TRY TO PRETEND LIKE YOU'RE ALL OF THE SUDDEN OVER NIGHT CHANGE INTO THIS AWARD WINNING BOYFRIEND! STAY AWAY FROM HER, VEGETA!" Goku gave them both firey last looks and he took off, blasting straight through the group of nervous spectators.  
  
Damry's hands were shaking. She was sure her brother was about to tear Vegeta apart, and was surprised when all he did was yell. I have to give him a little credit, she thought, he does have a little class! All eyes rested on her. Piccolo was about to say something to her, but stopped when she flew abruptly away in the same direction she saw Goku head in.  
  
Everyone watch Damry leave in silence, then their attention shiften to Vegeta who was rubbing his neck. "What?" he asked, as if he didn't know why he had their attention.  
  
Yamcha chuckled. "You, dog you!" His cheerful remark broke the tension and made everyone laugh a little.  
  
"Come on, you guys. I think it's time for us to go home," Piccolo suggested.  
  
One by one they flew away, but Trunks landed in front of his father with his arms crossed. He looked angy. "So, you got your kiss and raised hell. Now what are you going to do? That was stupid, Father! Right in front of Goku? Couldn't you have held it in until, oh, I don't know, say, TOMORROW?!"  
  
Vegeta looked down and shuffled his feet. "It just...happened, Trunks! I don't know why, but it's like if I didn't do it right then, it never would have happened!"  
  
"Was it worth it?" Trunks asked, still frowning.  
  
Vegeta grinned. "Oh yeah, it was worth it!" He put a hand on his son's shoulder for a moment, then took off towards home. Trunks followed close behind.  
  
Damry could sense Goku nearby, but she couldn't see him anywhere. She had first assumed that he had gone to the lake, but when she got there, she realized that he had over shot it. She hovered in the air for a while, trying to figure out which way he had gone. Then, without warning, she was knocked by a powerful force straight into the ground.  
  
She layed stunned anf paralyzed for a moment, not knowing what hit her. When the dust cleared, she managed to focus in on a man hovering a few feet above her with his fist raised, ready to pound it into her face. The fist shook a bit, then collapsed. His eyes softened and he reached out an arm to Damry. She grabbed it and he pulled her up.  
  
Damry rubbed her throbbing arm and scowled at her brother. "I guess I've had that one coming to me for a while, huh?" she said between clenched teeth.  
  
"No, Damry, you haven't. I'm so, so sorry..." Goku's voice trembled and they both sat down, leaning against a tree. "When I saw you...with him...I saw my little sister being ripped away from me so fast that I didn't know how else to react!"  
  
"And you ruined the most passionate moment of my entire life. Thanks a lot." She refused to look at her choked up brother, a few tears gathering in her eyes, ready to fall.  
  
"Damry, he said that I couldn't stop you from loving him," Goku managed to get out. His voice was shaky and unstable.  
  
"That's right, Goku, you can't! And I really wish you would stop trying!" Damry had her entire body turned away from him now. She sniffed and wiped her tears away with the back of her hand.  
  
"So...it's true, then...you do love Vegeta?"  
  
Damry's head was suddenly cleared of anger and fogged with confusion. Without even knowing it, Vegeta had told everyone that they loved each other. "Well, I don't know! I know that this is the strongest feeling that I have ever had for anyone!"  
  
"I have lost all my control over you," he said, more to himself than to her. "I have lost you...to Vegeta..."  
  
More tears welled up in Damry's eyes as she turned to her brother, grabbing his hand quickly. "No, Goku! You haven't lost me! You're my brother and I will always love you more than anything in the world! You will always be the most important person in my life! I would die if I lost you, Goku! I would die!"  
  
"Then you know how I feel! I have tried to keep you to myself as long as possible! I have always had control over everything you have ever done! But now, I have lost control and you're on your own! That terrifies me, Damry!" His eyes were watering up, despite how hard he tried to hold them back.  
  
"Goku, don't say that! You haven't lost me! I am my own person, though! You can only control what I have power over, and I don't have power over who I care about! It's not something I have a say in!"  
  
"Just...promise me that you'll always be there. Promise me you'll never leave," he pleaded. He looked down, ashamed to have to break down in front of his sister like this. He had always been the strong one. He had to be.  
  
She pulled his chin up to face her so that she could look him straight in the eye. "Goku, there may come a time when I have to move out, but I won't move far. I may start my own family, but you will always be my brother. I might get married, but you will always be the most important person in my life. No matter where I go or what I do, I promise you that I will never leave, because I will always be right here," she put a hand on his chast right over his heart. They both swallowed back more tears and hugged tightly.  
  
Goku had a new understanding for Damry's relationship with Vegeta. They could now publically announce that they were in a relationship, and they didn't have to sneak around any more. Everyone got used to seeing them together, and Goku slowly adapted to Damry being gone every night and coming home late. He and Vegeta were getting along much better. Everyone was. Vegeta had outgrown his hard shell and developed into a fine friend.  
  
Two weeks after their first kiss, Damry entered Vegeta's house cheerfully carrying two movies and an entire box of un-popped popcorn. "Okay, Vegeta! I've got To Kill a Mockingbird and Where the Red Fern Grows. Oh, and I got the extra-buttered popcorn this time!" She set the movies and popcorn down on the coffee table next to Vegeta's feet, but when he didn't rise to greet her or even say anything, she knew something was up. "Vegeta...? Is everything okay?" She sat next to Vegeta and took his hand, searching his face for an explination.  
  
"It's Trunks, Damry..." His voice was low and worried. "I was looking for a pen in his desk drawer and found these," he practically mumbled, emptying out the contents of his pocket. He threw three condom wrappers on the coffee table.  
  
"Oh Kami," Damry said under her breath. "You think he's...sleeping with Rita?"  
  
He shrugged. "I have no idea! I mean, atleast we know he's being safe if he is at all, but I wish he would have told me or something! He's almost through with his senior year. I can't send him back to his mother as a father! She'd kill me!"  
  
"Vegeta, calm down, I'm sure it's nothing! Have you given him the talk yet? I mean, he's 18, I'm sure he knows what he's doing by now, but I think you need to confront him about this!" Damry's soothing voice cheered Vegeta up a bit.  
  
"Yeah, I'll talk to him when he gets home tonight. You know, now that I've kind of got the hang of this whole 'cooking' thing, I let him see her every night! Now I think I know why he spends so much time over there!" Vegeta put an arm around Damry and pulled her close.  
  
"It'll be fine, Vegeta. He's a teenager, it was bound to happen eventually!" She wrapped her arms around his chest and he gave her a soft kiss.  
  
"I'll make the popcorn, you start Where the Red Fern Grows." After giving her another kiss, he rose and grabbed the popcorn, taking it into the kitchen.  
  
Two hours later, the credits started rolling and tears were still streaming down Damry's cheeks. "I hate ending like that, I just hate them!" she sniffed.  
  
"He got two new dogs, what's so sad about that?" Vegeta said, wiping away a tear before Damry could see it.  
  
Damry was too quick for him. "Vegeta, was that...a tear I saw?"  
  
Vegeta stood up and grabbed the empty popcorn bowl and their four empty cans of soda, taking them to the kitchen. "No, I just got something in my eye! Trunks hasn't dusted in weeks!"  
  
Damry followed him in. "Yeah, right! Don't hide it! You were sad! It damn near killed you when those dogs died! I bet you cried in Old Yeller, too, didn't you?"  
  
Vegeta washed out the bown and ran a quick rag over it, then threw the cans in their trash can. "I'm telling you, Damry! I wasn't crying! And of course I cried in Old Yeller, no boy should ever have to shoot his dog!" He wiped a fake tear from his cheek and put his arms around Damry.  
  
Damry hit his arm softly for making fun of her, but hugged him back. He laughed a little and pressed his forehead to hers and their eyes locked. He tipped his head slightly to kiss her, when Trunks was heard coming through the door. Damry turned her head at the noise, but Vegeta turned it back to her. "No way, that's not stopping me any more!" They both grinned as he caught her in a passionate kiss.  
  
Trunks shuffled into the kitchen yawning. He stopped and rolled his eyes when he saw them. "Oh, Kami, you two! Get a room!" He stumbled over to the fridge and took out a bottle of water.  
  
Vegeta and Damry laughed as they managed to stop romanticizing for a few minutes. "You're one to talk," Vegeta mumbled. Damry elbowed his arm as a warning, not wanting him to blow it with his son.  
  
"What did you say?" Trunks asked, even though he knew exactly what he had said.  
  
"Nothing. Listen, I'm going to take Damry home, but wait up. We need to have a little chat." Vegeta gave him a serious stare and took Damry's hand, leading her to the door.  
  
"Bye, Trunks!" Damry yelled on her way out of the kitchen.  
  
"G'night," he respoded after gulping down some water.  
  
Vegeta and Damry landed on her doorstep. "Do you want to come in for some coffee or something?" she asked, knowing how nervous Vegeta must have been.  
  
"No, thanks. If I don't go now, I never will and then I'll be a grandpa before I'm fourty!"  
  
Damry smiled reassuringly and wrapped her arms around him. "Well, I don't know about that, but I wish you luck anyway! Remember, he already knows the information, you just need to make sure he's not testing it out, okay?"  
  
Vegeta held her tightly for comfort. "What if he tells me that he is sleeping with Rita? What can I do?"  
  
"You can't really do anything. What's done is done, but you can make sure he understands the concequences and everything. You'll be fine! Just don't be so nervous, that'll only make him uncomfortable!"  
  
Vegeta smiled softly and kissed her. "Thank you, Damry, I don't know what I would do without you!"  
  
Damry smiled and kissed him back. "That's what I'm here for!"  
  
"Goodnight, Damry, I'll see you tomorrow morning at the lake!" He kissed her hand and headed home.  
  
Trunks scratched a pencil across the blank notebook paper. He always seemed to have inspiration late at night. His brain was moving father than his hand, confusing him further. With a sudden snap, the lead of his pencil slipped out from under his hand and crumbled on the paper. "Dammit," he muttered. He pulled open his desk drawer to get out another pencil, but paused. Something wasn't right. Something was missing. "Oh, shit!" he yelled at himself, pushing things around in his drawer. "Shit, shit, shit!"  
  
Just then, his door opened, emitting his father. Trunks jumped up and slammed the desk drawer closed. Vegeta leaned against the doorway to his son's room. "Looking for these," he asked, pulling two of the three condoms out of his pocket and tossing them on the desk.  
  
Trunks cowered. "Dad, listen, I can explain!" He took a few steps back with his hands up in defense.  
  
Vegeta took a seat on his son's bead and spoke calmly. "Relax, Trunks, I'm not angry with you."  
  
"Y-You're not?" Trunks asked, not quite believing him.  
  
Vegeta cleared his throat, but remembered what Damry said. He made sure he was nice and calm before he continued. "Trunks, I think it's about time we had a little talk."  
  
"I think I know what you're getting at, Dad, and it's a little late for that," Trunks replied, pulling the chair out from his desk and slouching into it.  
  
"I'm not going to lecture you, Trunks. I know you already know all about, uh, girls, and that I would just be making both of us terribly uncomfortable by saying it out loud."  
  
"Then what do you want to talk to me about?" Trunks asked, popping his knuckles nervously.  
  
"I just want to know straight out...are you or are you not sleeping with Rita?"  
  
Trunks's eyes widened, not believing that his father had actually asked him such a blunt question. He thought he was going to give him some corny 'birds and the bees' lecture, stumbling around having to say the word 'sex' in front of him. "Dad..." he stalled.  
  
"Well? It's a simple yes or no question, Trunks! This isn't a game show, and you don't have any life lines! Now answer me!"  
  
Trunks looked down. His father was burning a hole through him with his stare. "Yes, sir," he replied weakly.  
  
"Say it like a man, Trunks!" Vegeta demanded.  
  
"Yes sir!" Trunks repeated more confidently.  
  
"Now if you think you're old enough to have sex with your girlfriend, then you should talk to me like a man, understand?"  
  
"Yes sir!" Trunks replied. He was scared out of his mind now. His father had used the 's' word.  
  
"I know you're using protection, which is smart. Just remember, Trunks, no glove, no love! Got it?"  
  
"Ye- what?!" It took Trunks a second to fully comprehend what his father had just said. "Did you say 'no glove, no love'?" he said, holding back laughter.  
  
"What, you prefer 'Before you attack her, wrap your wacker'?" Vegeta grinned, glad to break the uncomfortable tension between them. Trunks couldn't hold it back any more. His father's insanely corny condom slogans were cracking him up. "Laugh it up, kid! I've got pleanty more where that came from!" Trunks was practically rolling on the floor laughing, and Vegeta chuckled along. Well, atleast I got that out of the way!  
  
Trunks knocked on Rita's front door bright and early the next morning. The sun had just barely started to peek over the horizon, and the animals were only beginning to wake up. Rita was quick to answer the door. "Right on time," she said sleepily, greeting him with a tight hug and a kiss.  
  
"Of course I am!" Trunks took a few seconds to admire her. She had her hair up in a pony and wore a green visor. Her sunglasses rested on the rim, and he could see himself in his reflection in the lenses. She had on a baby blue tank top with a big 2 on it with denim shorts and trendy tennis shoes. "You ready?" he finally asked.  
  
"Yeah, let's go!" She smiled excitedly, grabbed a cooler containing their lunches, and took his hand. He opened the door of his truck for her, then ran around to the other side to get in. Unfortunately for Trunks, Rita was just getting used to the fact that he and his friends and family could fly. Trunks offered to take her up some time, but she had an enormous fear of hights.  
  
Trunks turned down the booming music that came on the second he started the car so he could talk to Rita. "So, my dad found my secret stash last night."  
  
Rita knew exactly what he was talking about. "Uh oh, was he mad?"  
  
Trunks drummed a rhythm on the steering wheel as he stopped at a stop sign. "Amazingly, no! Had he found them a month ago, I probably wouldn't be alive right now! Then he insisted on talking about it, which sucked, but he did a pretty good job. Damry's really done a number on that guy!"  
  
"Yeah, and luckily it was for the better!"  
  
Trunks nodded and smiled over at her. She looked magnificent, even at that hour of the morning. "So how's your grandma doing? Any better?"  
  
"Not really. I have to get her to a doctor soon, but she refuses to see one! Maybe I could get one to come to the house!" Rita stared out the window. They were out of her part of town now and houses were becoming fewer and fewer.  
  
Trunks pulled onto a road that he had made by driving through the tall grass so many times. They were getting close. "She probably wouldn't like that much. You just have to convince her that she needs medical attention! It could be something serious!"  
  
"I sure hope not! I'd like for her to be around for my graduation! Besides, school doesn't start up again until September for me. I would have to live alone in that old house! I don't even have a steady job!"  
  
Trunks pulled into a clearing where they could see the lake. Everyone was already there. Krillen, Damry, and Goku were already fishing, and Vegeta was, as usual, fixing Yamcha's pole. "Don't worry, Rita, no matter what happens, I'll take care of you! Even if it means sticking around here a little longer!"  
  
"You mean you're leaving right after graduation? I thought you'd atleast spend a little more time with your friends! We're never going to see you again!"  
  
Trunks stopped the truck near their usual lunch spot. "Nah, I'll come back to visit! You can count on it!" He hopped out and ran around to open the door for Rita. He took her hand and grabbed their poles out of the back, along with a bucket of minnows and his tackle box. Everyone waved and said hello as they approached. "Rita, I think you know pretty much all of these guys! Except for maybe Piccolo!"  
  
Piccolo reached out a friendly hand to her. "Hey, I've heard a lot about you," he said in the most non-frightening tone he could manage. Rita had obviously never seen a Namek before.  
  
She took his hand uneasily and shook it. "Yeah, you too, it's a, uh, pleasure to finally meet you!" Piccolo laughed to himself and turned back to the lake.  
  
Damry and Vegeta had gone out on the boat. They both waved, and Vegeta rowed over, not wanting to scare the fish by yelling. "Hi there, Rita! What do you think of our lake?" Vegeta said happily.  
  
"It's beautiful!" Rita exclaimed, looking out on the clear blue water.  
  
"Come on, Rita! All this talking is driving me crazy! Let's go set up our poles, shall we?" Trunks grabbed Rita's hand and started pulling her away from everyone.  
  
"Bye, guys!" Rita waved as Trunks pulled her farther and farther away. He finally found a nice spot as far away from everyone as he could manage. "Now Trunks, that was just plain rude! You didn't even give me a chance to say hello to everyone!"  
  
"Eh, they got the idea. I brought you so we could spend time together. Alone. If Dad had it his way, he would put us on different sides of the lake and tie us to trees." Trunks had already fixed up their poles at the house. He reached into their bucket of minnows and grabbed the first one that swam into his hand. He drove the hook through its mouth, then handed the pole to Rita. "There you go. Just cast it in!"  
  
Rita looked absolutely horrified. "You just put a hook through that little fish's mouth! Isn't that...cheating?"  
  
Trunks looked confused for a minute, not knowing what there was to not understand. "Rita, that little fish is the bait! The big fish comes along and eats it, then the hook goes through it's mouth and we reel it in!"  
  
"But doesn't that hurt the fish?!" Rita was mortified.  
  
"Well, not really! I mean, it's a small hook! It's just like getting your lip pierced! People do it all the time! And it doesn't even hurt as much as that because...the fish's mouth is thinner!" Trunks was grabbing at anything to make fishing sound less barbaric to Rita.  
  
"Oh...okay, then! But what about that little fish you put on the hook? You're just going to let him get eaten?"  
  
Trunks sighed. He had no idea that fishing could be so hard. "Well, he'd get eaten anyway because the big fish always eat the little ones! This way, it's at our benefit!" Rita nodded, understanding the whole fishing concept a little better now. She looked at the pole cluelessly, not knowing exactly how to cast. "Here, let me show you," Trunks said, realizing her delima. He wrapped his arms around her from behind and showed her how to hold the pole, then put his hands over hers. He brought the pole back, helped her push the button, then threw the pole forewards, releasing the button. Rita smiled victoriously as she watched the minnow go flying into the water and make a tiny little splash. "Now, watch that little red ball. When it goes under, jerk back on your pole and start turning that little handle, okay?" Trunks kissed her cheek, then returned to his pole to bait it up.  
  
"Okay! Got it! Hey, this is kind of fun, Trunks! Now I see why you do this every weekend!" Rita kept her eyes fixed on the bobber.  
  
Trunks smiled as he took out another minnow and hooked it. He stood close to Rita and casted his bait into the water. Their bobbers floated almost right next to each other. Trunks took in a deep breath of the fresh air, cleansing his lungs of all the stress he had aquired over the week.  
  
"So how'd it go last night with Trunks," Damry asked once she and Vegeta were clear of any prying ears.  
  
Vegeta smiled a little bit. "It went okay, better than I had planned!"  
  
"That's great! So...did you ask him?" Damry was already pretty sure that Trunks wasn't sleeping with Rita. Surely he would have come to her if he had.  
  
"Yeah, I did. He told me that he is sleeping with her, and he is aware of the concequences."  
  
Damry's eyes widened, taking in the new information. "You're kidding me! You mean he's gone all this time without telling anyone? I never would have thought..."  
  
Vegeta looked pretty relaxed. "Well, he's 18, and atleast it's with someone he really cares about. He says he loves her, Dam, so I'm really not too worried! He's being safe, he knows what he's doing."  
  
Damry nodded and calmed down. "Yeah, I guess you're right. Trunks is a smart kid, he wouldn't do anything that he knew was stupid." They both looked across the lake at Trunks and Rita. They were sitting down now, laughing and talking. "It's a shame Trunks has to leave in a month. They have such a strong relationship. They're so cute together, too! And you and him are finally starting to get along..."  
  
Vegeta stared out onto the lake. He shook his head slowly. "I know, I know...but there's nothing I can do about it. The deal was he would stay with me until he graduated from high school, then go home."  
  
"You can still call Bulma, you know...Trunks has gone the last six years without knowing his father. You need to make an enterance in his life before he gets to that stubborn age where he thinks you're a jerk for never showing up!"  
  
Vegeta returned his attention to Damry. "You think so? Well, I guess. I'll do it as soon as Trunks goes home."  
  
Damry rolled her eyes. "Oh, sure, procrastinate! Put it off 'till the last minute then chicken out when the opportunity finally comes up!" she said sarcastically.  
  
"Well, I wouldn't know what to say! 'Um, excuse me, Bulma, I know we haven't talked in a while, but I'd like to start seeing the son I've never met regularly!' Yeah, that would blow over real well with her!"  
  
"Don't be a jerk, Vegeta! Listen, maybe you can spend some of the summer with him! You know, show him a few fight moves, take him out for ice cream, play catch in the yard..."  
  
Vegeta looked up at Damry apologetically. "You're right, Damry. I need to call her." He smiled a little, picturing himself in the front yard playing catch with his son, then Damry walking out with a plate of sanwiches. A happy family.  
  
"Trunks! My bobber went under!" Rita yelled, jerking on her pole like Trunks had told her to. He set his pole down behind a rock and jumped behind her, helping her reel it in.  
  
"You've almost got it, Rita!" he said to his extatic girlfriend. The fish jumped in the distance as they kept reeling it in. "Whoa! Did you see that? It's huge!" It flopped its way on the shore and Trunks grabbed it. Rita watched excitedly. He removed the hook from its mouth and held it out to Rita. "Here, take it!"  
  
"Eaw, you want me to touch it? It's all gross and slimey!" Rita backed away from Trunks, but he continued to approach her.  
  
"Come on, Rita! We'll go show everyone and put it in the cooler! Your first big catch!"  
  
Rita stopped and grinned at Trunks. "You mean we're keeping it?"  
  
Trunks looked down at the wiggling fish, then back to Rita. "I think you've got the wrong idea, Rita...we're gonna eat it! It's kind of a tradition...we fish all day, then eat what we caught!"  
  
Rita was about to yell at Trunks for being barbaric, but then she got an idea. "Oh, okay! Here, let me see him!" Trunks smiled and showed her how to put her thumb inside the fish's mouth. She stroked it and smiled into its beady black eyes. Then, she ran to the edge of the lake and hurdled the fish back into the water. "Go, Gary! Be free!" she yelled.  
  
Trunks gave her a confused stare. "Gary?" he asked, trying not to laugh.  
  
"That's right! Gary! I'm not going to let you eat him!" Rita put her hands on her hips, meaning business.  
  
"Are you going to do this with ever fish we catch?" he asked desperately. She grinned and nodded. Trunks moaned and rubbed his forehead.  
  
The group gathered their things and cleaned up before their departure. Everyone had a fish to show off, except Trunks and Rita. "She made friends with the fish," he explained. They all snickered a little to themselves, especially Vegeta. Damry grabbed his hand and flew him away before he started rolling on the ground and hurt Rita's feelings. The rest followed behind them, and Trunks and Rita piled into the truck. Rita had made Trunks let all the minnows go, after naming them all. She even made him apologize.  
  
"I'm sorry if I ruined your fishing trip," Rita said in the truck as he pulled away from the lake.  
  
Trunks put his arm around her and smiled. "Not at all, Rita! I spent the entire day with the girl I love! It couldn't possibly be ruined! I just hope that Gary, Sydney, and Jose appreciate you as much as I do!"  
  
Rita giggled. "Don't forget Dominic and Fred!"  
  
"Oh, how could I possibly forget Dominic and Fred?" he said sarcastically. Rita hit his arm playfully for making fun of her and he laughed in return.  
  
Damry and Vegeta got comfortable on the couch. Goku sat in the comfy chair with Gohan on his knee, and Piccolo and Krillin sat in the two recliners. Tien, Yamcha, Trunks, and Rita were in the kitchen keeping Chichi company and helping her prepare the fish. Rita refused to watch the men skin them, but she didn't mind helping Chichi make the batter and fry them.  
  
"So Vegeta, any special plans for Trunks's last month here?" Goku asked.  
  
"Not really. I'm letting him have a huge graduation/farewell party at the lake. That should be fun. He wants everyone to come! It'll be huge! I think he and I will go up there and do some father-son fishing. Nothing too special," he responded, masking his depression.  
  
"It sure will be different around here without Trunks around," Krillin stated solemnly. Everyone nodded and Damry held Vegeta a little tighter. He could hide his emotions from everyone else, but Damry always knew what was going on.  
  
Trunks and Rita walked out of the kitchen hand in hand, announcing that they are leaving. "You're not staying for dinner?" Damry asked sadly.  
  
"No, I'm taking Rita out! We're going to try that new Italian place over by the mall. I'll be home by eleven thirty or so, okay Dad?"  
  
Vegeta nodded slowly, dissappointed that his son was leaving. He wanted to be with him as much as he could manage now. "Okay, be careful," Vegeta responded. Trunks, Vegeta, and Damry all knew what was really meant by that remark.  
  
"Bye, it was nice seeing you all!" Rita said as Trunks leaded her out. He gave them a small wave and closed the door behind him. Trunks opened the door for Rita, then climbed into his seat on the other side. He started the truck and started pulling away quickly. "What's the rush, honey?" Rita asked as Trunks practically floored it on the main road.  
  
"Well, I know how long it takes you to get ready!" Trunks said, teasing her. "I don't want to miss our reservation!"  
  
Rita crossed her arms. "It will only take me a little over an hour, Trunks!"  
  
Trunks rolled his eyes and smiled. "Yeah, I'll be home and back again before you're even out of the shower!"  
  
"Yeah, well you're a guy! You're different!"  
  
Trunks laughed at her cuteness as he pulled up in front of her house. "Okay, I'll be back in about half an hour, think you can be atleast out of the shower by then?"  
  
"Yeah, right!" Rita said, winking as she got out of the truck and ran inside. Trunks smiled softly to himself as he watched her pony tail sway from side to side as she ran. When he was done gawking, he slid out of the truck and took off towards home.  
  
Thirty minutes later, Trunks arrived back at Rita's house as planned. Her grandma let him in and he wandered into her room, relaxing in a over- stuffed chair that she had in the corner. He heard the water in the shower stop and the door to the bathroom open. Rita stepped out in a cloud of steam, wrapped in a towel. Her wet hair stuck to her shoulders and beads of water slid down her smooth legs. Trunks's eyes traveled from her feet up, soaking in every bit of her beauty.  
  
Rita walked slowly over to him, making him practically squirm in his seat. Rita grinned to herself at her ability to arouse him on cue. She sat teasingly on his lap, exposing more and more of her legs. Trunks swallowed hard as his eyes snuck a peek at the rim of the towel, sinking lower and lower on her chest.  
  
Noticing his eyes darting down every few seconds, she pulled the towel down slowly until she had almost exposed one of her breasts. Before she did, she pulled it back up and climbed off of Trunks's lap. She could feel him harden under her and wanted to torture him a little longer. Trunks cringed as she dropped the towel right in front of him. He gripped the arms of the chair a little tighter.  
  
She ran the towel up both legs, then slowly up her torso. Trunks's breathing became heavier as she spent an extra long time drying off her breasts, then moved to her arms, then hair. She laughed softly, almost evily, as she reched into her drawer. She pulled out a black meshed thong with red trimming and slipped it on, then pulled a black skirt on over it. She could see Trunks's face fall in disappointment. "Come on now, Trunks. You don't want to miss our reservation, do you?" she said in the most taunting voice she could manage.  
  
"No," he responded dryly, rising out of his seat. Rita grinned to herself, noticing the bulge still present in his pants. She approached him with a wry smile and put her arms around his shoulders, kissing his neck. His hands traveled up her back, caressing her as she moved her tounge to his lips. She trapped him in a merciless kiss as she pushed her bare chest against him. Keeping one hand around her waist, he let one wander up her stomach and to her breasts. He massaged one, then the other, teasing her erect nipples between his fingers.  
  
Her hand began to slowly decend down his chest, then to his pants. She slowly unbuttoned them and slid a hand inside, finding his hardness through his boxers. She slowly stroked him, pulling and tugging rhythmically as his lips slid to her neck. He moaned softly as she worked away at him, nibbling on her neck, then ear.  
  
Before things got any hotter, a knock came to Rita's door, followed by a hard cough. "Rita, sweetheart, it's going on 9:00! You and Trunks had better get going if you want to make your reservation!" Rita yanked her hand out of Trunks's pants and he quickly buttoned them back up. She threw on a bra and red top, then opened the door.  
  
"Okay, Nanna! I'm just going to fix my hair real quick, okay?" she said, panting. She hoped her granmother couldn't detect the hot smell of sex present on her hands.  
  
"Okay, sweetheart," her granmother said, followed by another rage of coughing.  
  
Rita closed the door and they both let out a sigh of relief. Luckily her Grandma had enough respect to knock before entering, and lacked the sense to let Rita have boys alone in her bedroom with her. Trunks's erection had melted away, but it was for the better. Rita quickly ran back into the bathroom to wash up and fix her hair and makeup.  
  
Ten minutes later, she came back out with her still damp hair wrapped up in a french twist, and she wore natural colors of makeup on her face. Trunks rose from his posistion on the chair and smiled. "You look beautiful," he commented, "and in a record's time!" Rita laughed a little and slipped some sandals on, then took Trunks's hand. They bid farewell to Rita's grandmother and climbed into the truck. In a matter of minutes, they were gone.  
  
Vegeta rubbed Damry's arm as she cuddled closer to him. The ground beneth them was hard, but the comfort of laying in each other's arms overpowered it. Damry rested her head on Vegeta's chest as they gazed up at the stars. The lake was like glass, smooth with no ripples. It was peaceful when it was just the two of them. They didn't need to talk to communicate. The only noise that they could hear was the nightlife around them and the sound of each other breathing.  
  
Vegeta moved his hand up to Damry's hair, running his fingers through it slowly, then kissing her forehead. "I'm sorry I wasn't very talkative at dinner, Damry," he said softly, not wanting to disturb the peacefulness that embodied them.  
  
"You were very talkative, 'Geta! Just not with words. I understood perfectly what you were saying," she responded as softly as he had asked. She held him a little tighter as a light breeze tugged at their hair.  
  
"Did you?" he asked, stroking her soft cheek.  
  
"Of course I did. You were thinking about Trunks the whole time. I know you felt bad that he had left to go to dinner with Rita. There are only three more trips to the lake left and you want him all to yourself, don't you?"  
  
Vegeta paused for a moment, not knowing how she could have possibly known exactly what he was thinking. "Well, yes, I do! But I'm not selfish like I was. I know that he loves Rita more than anything, and if he wants to spend his last weeks with her, then let him!"  
  
Damry turned to look at him, resting her chest on his so that she could look into his eyes. "Vegeta, you are his father and he will always have more love and respect for you than any girl! The love that he feels for Rita is completely different than what he feels for you! He loved you before he met you, or else he wouldn't have come this far to spend time with you!"  
  
Vegeta took in her words, understanding exactly what she meant. She made sense of what had been baffling him ever since Trunks had arrived in one sentence. "Damry," he said almost in a whisper after a moment of brief silence, "you have turned my world upside-down in a matter of weeks. I have never let anyone in my heart until that one day when we fought over that stupid remote." He laughed a little as he recalled the situation. Well, sorry to dissappoint you, but I don't take orders from anyone! Especially not you! he remembered himself saying in his mind. "I could never figure out why I let someone change me like you did, but I think I just figured it out." Damry tilted her head to the side, not knowing what he was getting at. Vegeta reached up and brushed the stray hair out of her face, then cupped her cheek with his hand. "Damry, I'm in love with you!" he said with such tenderness in his tone that Damry couldn't do anything but kiss him.  
  
Vegeta had never said 'I love you' to anyone before. He ran his fingers through Damry's hair as he gently kissed her back. Damry softly broke the kiss as soon as she thought she got her point across. She smiled at him briefly, then moved her lips to his ear. "I'm in love with you too," she whispered. Vegeta turned his head just right to catch her lips with his. He ran his hands down her back, rubbing and massaging it from time to time. Damry took his face softly in her hands.  
  
Vegeta slowly turned her over onto her back, intwining his legs with hers. Their lips remained locked as Vegeta's hands slowly ventured under Damry's shirt. At first, he rubbed her back, running them up and down her small torso. He then lifted the shirt over her head, breaking their kiss only for a second. For a while, his hands remained on her back and sides, but they soon reached back and unhooked her bra. He slowly slid it off until it fell beside them. The hard earth scratched against Damry's back, but she was too caught up in the moment to notice.  
  
Damry was quick to respond by slipping Vegeta's shirt off over his head. He held her body close to his as his lips traveled from hers to her neck. His hands had worked their way to her breasts, rubbing and holding them softly, not wanting to hurt her. She felt his kiss slide from her neck to her collar bone, and then down to where his hands had been before. He fondled her nipple with his tounge, exciting her even more as she reached down and slipped out of her pants and panties.  
  
"Wait," she whispered, knowing what was about to happen.  
  
Vegeta reached into his pocket, knowing what she was afraid of. He pulled out the third condom that he had never returned to his son and smiled. Damry retured the smile, relieved that they didn't have to call it a night. They both mentally thanked Trunks as Vegeta leaned back down onto her, meeting her lips with his once again.  
  
Damry could feel how hard Vegeta really was now. She moaned softly as his hand slowly slid down between her legs. He teased her a moment, working his fingers around everything but her hungry clit. She moaned a bit louder and moved her hips so that his fingers were forced to meet it. He rubbed her slowly at first to get her excited, then faster and faster. He then let two fingers slide deep inside her. He pushed them in and out, still eating away at her ample breasts. She pushed his head down slowly, wanting to feel his tounge inside her at last.  
  
Vegeta was quick to accept her offer and moved his wet hand to her hips and thighs as he licked away at her dripping pussy. She had tasted just as sweet as he had imagined. Damry ran her fingers through his thick hair, wincing at the extreme pleasure he was shooting through her body. When he was sure he had licked every drop of her, he moved his lips back up to meet hers. Her hands quickly undid his pants and he slid out of them, tossing them in a heap with the rest of their clothes.  
  
Vegeta didn't waste any time to dodge inside of her. He had been waiting so long to be swallowed by her pussy that he couldn't wait any longer. He moaned softly, but it was swallowed in their kiss. They moved together rhythmically until Damry felt him tighten. They both climaxed at the same time, and broke the kiss that they had held the entire time, panting. Vegeta pulled out of her and held her tightly in his arms. She kissed his neck softly, then found a confortable spot on his shoulder.  
  
For a while, the two lovers just held each other, letting the wind brush against their bare skin. Vegeta rubbed her arms, keeping her warm, and Damry's eyes began to droop. He pushed her hair behind her ear and kissed her forehead, whispering "I love you" into her ear as she slowly drifted off.  
  
Three weeks later, Trunks sat in his room with his fourth cup of coffee. Open books and papers covered his floor and desk. Vegeta opened the door a crack to see if Trunks was still awake, a fresh pot of coffee in hand. His eyes were sagging and his head was drooping. He'd pick it back up every couple of seconds, then suck down more coffee. Vegeta smiled, trying not to laugh. "What a way to spend your last week here," he said softly, making Trunks's head snap up.  
  
He yawned and streached, then held his coffee mug out for his father to refill. Trunks didn't care that it was black any more, he just needed to study a little longer. "Well, if I don't pass these exams, you might have me around a little longer," he said weakly.  
  
Vegeta set the coffee pot down on a closed book and put his hands on his son's shoulders. "I don't think you have to worry about that, Trunks. You'll do fine! Now listen, it's going on 2:00 and you really need to sleep! Besides, your hands are shaking so much from all that coffee that I can barely read your handwriting! Now let's just get you in bed, okay?"  
  
Trunks didn't need to respond. Vegeta grabbed his arm and helped him stumble over to his bed. He turned down the sheets for him, and Trunks fell asleep the second his head hit the pillow. Vegeta slid his socks off and covered him up with his sheets. Trunks's breathing deepened as his body welcomed the rest. Vegeta smiled softly at his sleeping son, watching him for a while. When he felt his eyes begin to burn, he clicked off the lamp on Trunks's desk and walked out of his room, closing the door after him.  
  
Trunks punded his fist down on his alarm clock for the third time that morning. He was about to go back to sleep, but something delicious smelling caught the attention of his nose. He rolled out of bed and followed the scent to the kitchen where a ham, cheese, and onion omlette awaited him. Vegeta piled bacon and sausage on the side, and fixed him a bowl of fruit. Trunks dug in the second Vegeta placed the food before him.  
  
"Well good morning to you, too!" Vegeta said with a huff as he poured them both some coffee.  
  
"Sorry, I'm not exactly awake yet," Trunks replied with his mouth stuffed full of eggs.  
  
Vegeta handed him his coffee and Trunks sipped at it. "Nervous about today?" Vegeta asked, sitting on the other side of the table. Trunks just shook his head, not wanting to postpone his eating. "Good! I don't think you have anything to worry about, anyway. Your GPA is the highest it's ever been, your SAT scores were outstanding...colleges will be begging you to choose them! You'll have your pick of any college in the future, I'm sure of it."  
  
Trunks managed a smile. "Thanks, Dad," he said after washing down his breakfast with a mouthfull of coffee.  
  
"Now you had better go get dressed. You've only got thirty minutes!" Trunks nodded in response and hurried back to his room. Vegeta shook his head with a smile and rinsed off his son's dishes.  
  
Trunks and Rita sat next to each other in Chemestry. They quizzed each other on the review packets until the bell rang and the teacher called for them to pass them up. Once she had all of the packets, she distributed all the final exams. "There are seven different versions, so I don't reccomend you look at your neighbor for help!" she explained. "You will have two hours to complete your exam. Good luck!"  
  
Trunks and Rita exchanged reassurring smiles, then started their tests. Trunks flew through the exam thirty minutes early, then went back and checked all of his math. He began to grow uneasy when he spotted several careless arithmatic errors that would have cost him at least five points all put together. The teacher rang a bell and the sound of pencils dropping on desks echoed throughout the room.  
  
"Your time is up. Results will be posted after school. I wish you all the best of luck in whatever road you will be choosing to follow next. I'll see you on Friday at graduation! Thank you!" The teacher tried to get through her little speech without crying, but she couldn't help it. She gathered all of the tests and stood by the door as her students one by one filed out for the last time.  
  
"Goodbye, Mrs. Roy," Trunks said, shaking his teacher's hand as he left.  
  
"Good luck, Mr. Briefs, I know you will make a fine scholar at whatever university you will be attending next fall!"  
  
Trunks smiled and thanked her, then took Rita's hand. They would have one hour before they had to be at their next exam, so they headed back to Trunks's house for lunch.  
  
Friday night rolled around faster than anyone could imagine. Trunks and Rita were at school getting ready to graduate, and everyone else was at Vegeta's house getting ready to watch them. "I hope everyone's coming to the lake tonight," Vegeta announced. "It's Trunks's last night here and I want to make it memorable!"  
  
"Are you kidding?" Goku said with a grin. "We wouldn't miss this for the world! Now we had better go, it's getting late!"  
  
Everyone was dressed up for the occasion. Damry even made a rare appearance in a short black dress. Her hair was half up with two curls on the sidse, framing her face. Damry, Goku, and Chichi rode with Vegeta in the truck, and Krillin, Tien, Yamcha, Piccolo, and Gohan rode in Yamcha's car. Trunks had made them promise not to fly.  
  
When they arrived, they all filed into the packed auditorium, taking seats all close together. Vegeta looked around nervously, knowing that Bulma was going to come watch as well. Maybe she would even bring his six year old son to watch himself graduate. Soon, the lights dimmed and a film strip was shown. It showed the seniors throughout the year, goofing off and working in class. Trunks was in it a few times, usually with Rita or a huge group of friends. Damry held Vegeta's hand as he laughed a little at some of the senior's actions in front of a camera.  
  
The principal gave a speech after the short movie, telling the friends and family how proud he was of the senior class. The valedictorian gave his little speech, then it was time to distribute the diplomas. The second "Trunks Briefs" was announced, they all stood up to clap and whistle for him, snapping pictures as he walked across the stage. He shook the principal's hand, then shot a peace sign to all his friends in the audience. It seemed like the entire place rorared as he walked back to his seat. Vegeta grinned at his son's immense popularity.  
  
Rita Borden was called soon after Trunks. They snapped more pictures as she recieved her diploma and returned to her seat. The rest of the ceremony was tedious. The senior class was huge, and the excitement was over in a matter of minutes.  
  
Once it was over, Vegeta lead the way out to the courtyard where all the graduates stood, waiting for their friends and family to come congratulate them. Trunks and Rita spotted them and ran over. "Hey, Dad!" Trunks called as he approached them.  
  
"Trunks! You did it!" his father responded as he shook his hand and put his other one on his shoulder. "Congratulatins, son!"  
  
"Thanks, Dad!" he said under his huge grin.  
  
Damry hugged him tightly next. "Oh, Trunks! I am so proud of you!" She wiped a couple of tears from her eyes as he hugged her back. "I can't believe it's over!"  
  
"Me neither, Damry! But I did it!" Trunks made his way down the line of people, shaking hands and grinning. Rita chatted with Damry and Vegeta as her boyfriend enlightened Goku and Piccolo about some of his exam grades.  
  
"So, Rita, what are you going to do now?" Damry asked, still trying not to cry.  
  
"Well, I was recently accepted to Cabridge, so I guess I'll be headed over there in the fall!" she responded with a grin that matched Trunks's.  
  
"That's fantastic, Rita! I bet your grandma is very proud of you!" Vegeta said, puting a hand on her shoulder. "Speaking of which, is she here? I'd love to finally meet her!"  
  
Rita's grin faded and she looked down. "My grandma was actually put in the hospital a couple nights ago. I guess Trunks was too caught up in his studying to tell you. She's really sick, but she's getting better!" She tried to mask her worry with a smile, but Vegeta and Damry saw straight through it.  
  
"Oh, honey, I'm so sorry!" Damry said soflty. "Trunks told us that she had been ill, but I didn't know it was that bad!"  
  
Rita opened her mouth to say something, but a friend grabbed her arm and spun her around. Her grin re-appeared and they ran off laughing. Trunks had been stolen away by a group of friends, and told them that he'd meet everyone at the lake. Vegeta took Damry's hand and they walked back to the parking lot, followed by everyone else.  
  
Music blasted from speakers set up around the party site by the lake. Graduates filled every edge of the clearing, some streachig back into the forest. Some people were dancing, some were talking, and a few were out on boats. Gohan had invited a few friends to help him get into some trouble and they hid under the tables full of food, grabbing peoples ankles as they filled their plates. Trunks was talking to a group of boys, and Rita was off talking to her girlfriends. Vegeta and Damry joined the other adults on the outskirts of the party where the music wasn't bashing in their ear drums.  
  
The party streached into all hours of the night. Trunks and Rita had run off into the forest somewhere to be alone for the last time, as did other couples. Soon, the crowd began thinning out as people either went home, or to other parties they had promised to attend. It was going on two o'clock in the morning and there was still no sign of Trunks or Rita.  
  
When the last of the guests had left, everyone helped Vegeta and Damry clean up. There were soda cans everywhere, along with some beer cans that someone had undoubtedly snuck in. Trash washed up in the water and all over the clearing. Piccolo even found a pair of pants floating near by.  
  
It took them a little over an hour to clean, and when they had filled their last trash bag, Trunks and Rita finally decided to show up. "Hey, parties over, huh?" Trunks said as he approached the exhausted group with his arm around Rita.  
  
"Did you two have a good time?" Damry asked dryly. Her voice was scratchy from her exhaustion and her eyes were slowly drooping.  
  
"Yeah, I had a great last night here. Thanks, you guys. I am really going to miss all of this!" Trunks looked from face to face, then took Rita to the truck so that he could take her home.  
  
One by one, everyone took off to go home, leaving only Goku, Chichi, a sleeping Gohan, Vegeta, and Damry. "I'll see you all tomorrow morning. Well, I guess I should say in a few hours, huh?" Vegeta said, walking Goku and his family to their car.  
  
"Yeah, we'll be there. Take care, Vegeta," Goku said sullenly as he got into his car and waited for Damry.  
  
Vegeta rubbed his eyes with his head lowered as he leaned against a tree. Damry took his hand, feeling the exact way he did. "You should just get home, honey. Trunks will be there soon and I know he'll want to talk to you."  
  
Vegeta nodded and hugged Damry tightly, then let her get in the car with Goku. As soon as the car was out of sight, Vegeta flew off.  
  
Vegeta was laying on the couch when Trunks walked in. It was 4:00am and he didn't expect his father to be able to wait up for him. He sighed disappointedly and started walking to his room. "Where you going?" his father asked as he sat up on the couch.  
  
"Oh, I thought you were asleep," Trunks said sleepily.  
  
"Not a chance." Trunks walked back over to his father and sat down next to him. Vegeta sighed, then looked over at his son momentarily. "You've only been with me four years, Trunks. In that time, I have watched you become a strong, intellegent man, and I am so proud of you. You have taught me more than anyone else ever could. I'm just sorry that I didn't realize how much I need you sooner. Our time together was short, Trunks. Too short. I'm sorry I wasn't the father that you expected to find when you first landed here."  
  
Trunks swallowed hard, holding back his emotions. "Dad, I didn't even expect you to take me in. From what Mom told me, I expected to turn around and come back a week after I landed here. But Dad, I knew you weren't the cold man you always tried to be the second I laid my eyes on you. Your heart beats just like mine. I knew that in time you would accept me. You taught me a lot, too. I understand who I am now. I understand things about myself that I didn't before. I am taking so much of you with me after all of this, Dad. I couldn't have asked for more."  
  
Vegeta looked down, staring at his feet with sad eyes. He took in his son's words one by one, each one planting themselves straight in his heart. He refused to believe that this was the last time he would be talking to his son. Then, he got an idea. "Trunks, follow me!" he said, getting up and leading him to his bedroom.  
  
Trunks followed him, not knowing what he could possibly want. Vegeta reached under his bed and pulled out an old wooden box with his name burned on it. He set it on his bed and opened it, pulling out two baseball gloves and an old baseball. "I managed to bring these with me when I left home. It's all I have left of that planet." Vegeta admired the gloves, then handed one to his son. "That is my old glove. My father gave it to me, and now I give it to you."  
  
Trunks smiled in awe as he slid the worn glove onto his hand. It was perfectly broken in, tattered and torn in some places. "Wow, thanks Dad!" he said as he ran his fingers over the smooth leather.  
  
Vegeta put the other glove onto his hand, then slammed the baseball into it. "So, you wanna toss the ball around?" he asked his son. He had missed out on his childhood, but he wasn't about to let his son go without playing some catch. Trunks's reply was an excited smile and they both walked outside.  
  
Vegeta threw the ball to his son, which Trunks easily caught in his new mit. "My father and I would play outside for hours when he wasn't busy. He was busy a lot, so you can imagine how excited I was when he got some time off!"  
  
Trunks returned the pitch. "Yeah, I bet that was pretty exciting. It must have been hard to have your father be a king!"  
  
"Yeah, it was tough. Sometimes I wished that we were just a normal family. That way he and I would never have to wait to play catch in the yard. We could just go out any time we wanted!" Vegeta threw the ball back.  
  
"But being royalty is every kid's dream! I bet your friends were pretty jealous!"  
  
"What friends I had were snobby and stuck up. They never wanted to go outside, never wanted to get dirty...my childhood basically sucked. I was the only kid in the palace with a tan!"  
  
Trunks laughed as they pitched the ball back and forth. They talked straight through dawn. Neither one of them were tired.  
  
"What's wrong, Trunks?" Vegeta asked, noticing his son's smiling face turn into a frown.  
  
"Dad, I think I should tell you something. Mom told me not to, but I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I didn't." Trunks held the ball and didn't throw it back. Vegeta walked up beside him to hear what he needed to say. "Dad, in a few weeks, a very powerful woman named Caldera is going to come to Earth. She is going to try and conquor it for her people, because they have used up all of the nutrients on their own planet. Goku will be unable to fight, so you and Damry are really the only two who can stop her."  
  
Vegeta shrugged. "Well, we must be able to defeat her or you wouldn't be here right now, right?"  
  
Trunks looked down. "You will end up destroying her, Dad, but not before she takes Damry's life." Vegeta felt his heart skip a beat in shock at his son's words. "You can't let her fight, Dad! You can't let Caldera kill Damry! It won't be easy to defeat her, but you have to do it on your own! You have to train as hard as possible so that you can beat her. Please, Dad, whatever you do, don't let Damry fight Caldera!"  
  
Vegeta looked down, soaking in the new information. "W-why didn't you tell me before? I could have been training all this time! She'll be here in two weeks? That doesn't give me a lot of time!"  
  
"I'm sorry, Dad! I shouldn't have told you, but I don't want you to lose Damry! It shouldn't end like that!"  
  
Vegeta was about to say something, but he spotted Goku and his family in the distance, then landing in front of them.  
  
"Hey, guys!" Goku said cheerfully. "You ready to go home, Trunks?" he asked.  
  
Trunks forced a smile. "I could never be ready to leave you guys, but I don't really have much of a choice! It's time for me to go back where I came from!"  
  
Vegeta sent Trunks inside to gather his bags and search the house over for anything that he might be leaving as he went to the shed on the other side of the house to ready the time machine. Damry followed him into the shed as the others started arriving. "Vegeta, you look exhausted! Did you ever go to sleep last night?"  
  
Vegeta shook his head. "Trunks and I just played some catch in the yard and talked for a while."  
  
Damry leaned against the shed wall. "A while? Vegeta, it's ten o'clock in the morning! Do you mean to tell me that you and Trunks played catch for six hours?"  
  
Vegeta laughed, then yawned as he awakened the sleeping machine. "Yeah, I guess we did!" He pulled up the wall of the shed like a garage door and pulled out the time machine. He positioned it in the clearing in the front of the house, and Goku helped him take it off of the wheels.  
  
Damry leaned against a tree and watched Vegeta prepare the time machine. He hadn't once looked in her eyes yes, but she knew how hard this was for him. Rita was the last to arrive. She had driven her grandma's old mercedes. Trunks carried the last of his boxes out of the house with the help of Tien, Yamcha, Krillin, and Gohan. He ran over to Rita when he saw her get out of her car and greeted her with a tight hug.  
  
Tears had stained her cheeks and she held Trunks tightly. He pulled her away just enough to look into her eyes. He frowned when he realized that the tears were not for him. "Rita, no..." he said, pleadingly. She nodded in response and held her tightly again. "Oh, Rita, I'm so sorry," he said, stroking her hair. "When did you find out?"  
  
"I got the call a few minutes before I left. She died in her sleep this morning at nine thirty." It took her a while to get out the sentence between choked back sobs.  
  
"Rita, I'm so sorry. I'm sorry I can't be here for you when you need me the most..." he looked back at the time machine. It was all loaded up and waiting for him, "but I have to leave."  
  
Rita sobbed more in his arms. "I can't, Trunks! I can't lose you and Nanna in the same morning, please! Don't go, Trunks! Don't go!"  
  
Trunks rubbed her back, not knowing what to tell her. "Rita, I don't want to leave, but I have to! Please don't make this harder than it has to be!"  
  
Rita sobbed on his shoulder, unable to answer. "Trunks, it's time to go," Vegeta called.  
  
Rita held on tight to him, not letting him walk over. "No, I won't let you go! I love you too much to let you go, Trunks! I need you, please! Please stay here!"  
  
Trunks pulled her arms off of him and pressed her trembling lips to his. "Rita, I love you too, but I have to go. Never forget me, okay?"  
  
Rita shook her head, taking one last look at him. Trunks kissed her one last time, then ran a gentle hand under her eyes to wipe her tears. "Only if you promise to never forget me," she whispered.  
  
"I promise," Trunks said softly, managing a smile. He held her hand in his and began walking away, then stopped. He looked back at her once more with a new inventive smile. "Rita, why don't you come with me?" Trunks now had everyone's attention, especially Vegeta's. Rita's teares stopped momentarily as she thought about his propisition. "I mean, what would you miss?"  
  
"I-I have friends here, Trunks! My life is here...I don't want to miss twelve years!" Trunks looked down, nodding. Deep down he knew it couldn't be so. "But...I do want do be with you..." Rita went over the pros and cons in her head, then a grin spread across her face. "Do you really want me to come?"  
  
Trunks took her other hand and smiled into her eyes. "Of course I do, Rita! I love you!"  
  
Rita jumped into his arms. "Okay! I'll go!"  
  
Vegeta cleared his throat. "Trunks, come on, it's now or never!"  
  
Trunks nodded and lead Rita over to the machine. He helped her in, then turned to his friends. He shook Tien's hand, then Yamcha, Piccolo, and Krillin's. He hugged Chichi and a mournful Gohan. "I'll see you in the future, buddy," he whispered in his young master's ear. He shook Goku's hand tightly. "Thanks for everything, Goku. Your hospitality, and your training. I'll always cherish the time we've had together."  
  
"You're a good kid, Trunks. You take care of Rita. Tell your mother I said hello!"  
  
Trunks nodded and smiled, then turned to Damry who automatically latched onto him. "Trunks, I can't believe you're leaving! It seems like you just got here!"  
  
Trunks hugged her tightly back as a few tears rolled off of her cheek and onto his shoulder. "Damry, you've always been like a sister to me. I'm sorry our time together was so short. I promise you that I'll come back to visit soon. It's not goodbye, just see you later!"  
  
"I love you, sweetheart. Don't you run off to the future and forget about me, okay?" She put a hand on his cheek and Trunks kissed her's softly.  
  
"I won't, Damry! Don't worry!" Trunks was about to turn to his father, but stopped. He leaned down and whispered "Don't fight, Damry," into her ear. Damry looked confused. "You'll know soon, Damry. Just don't do it. Promise me you won't do it!"  
  
"I promise...?" she said, unsure of herself. Trunks hugged her one last time and turned to his father.  
  
Vegeta looked the same way he did the day Trunks arrived. He looked at Trunks in disgust with his arms crossed and his eyes narrow. Trunks looked down, upset that he couldn't show a little emotion before he left for good. He sighed, then looked back up. "Well, Father, it was nice to finally meet you," he said sullenly. "I'll see you in twelve years!"  
  
Trunks turned away from his father before he saw the tears that were welling in his eyes, but a strong hand on his shoulder stopped him. He looked slowly over his shoulder to see his father, his trembling eyes tightly closed. Trunks tried to smile, but his tears wouldn't allow it. He wrapped his arms tightly around his father and hugged him. To his surprise, he felt his father return the hug.  
  
"I'm sorry I haven't been a good father, Trunks, I'm so sorry," he whispered to his son, choked back from the tears he was refusing to let out.  
  
"No, Dad, you have been the best father that I could ever ask for. The past two months have made up for the entire life that you missed out on! I know who you are now, Dad, and so I know who I am. I love you, Dad, and I'll never forget the time we've had together!"  
  
Vegeta loosened his grip on his son and pulled him away to look into his eyes. "Trunks, I promise that I will start over with you. Now that I know what kind of man you will grow up to be, I don't want to waste another day when I could be getting to know you all over again. You're my son, and I need to be a father to you, because I..." Vegeta took a deep breath to gain the courage to complete his sentence, "I love you, son."  
  
Trunks smiled under his teares and hugged his father once more. Vegeta held his eyes closed tightly, not letting a single tear escape his eyes. When he felt his son pulling away from him, Vegeta finally opened his eyes to look at Trunks for the last time. His eyes were red and watery, but his ability to hold his tears in astounded Trunks. "Goodbye, Father," he said softly. He looked at his friends once more. Damry was sobbing in Goku's arms now.  
  
"Goodbye, my son..." Vegeta responded as Trunks climbed into the time maching beside Rita. He closed the door and waved from his window as the time machine slowly began lifting off the ground. Everyone watched as the capsule grew smaller and smaller in the air, until they couldn't see it any more.  
  
Vegeta rubbed his eyes and walked inside. Damry wanted to run after him, but Goku held her back. "Let him be alone for a while, Dam, he'll come to you when he needs to..." Damry nodded and sniffed, looking back up at the sky as if she was going to see Trunks waving at her. When she didn't, she took off and flew home. Goku picked up a tearful Chichi and took off after her, followed by a sniffling Gohan. One by one, the rest of them exited the scene. Rita's car was still parked in the yard.  
  
Inside, Vegeta had put on his glove again and he sat on Trunks's bed. The room still smelled like the cologne his son wore whenever he went out with Rita. He looked around the empty room, certain images flashing through his mind. "Looking for these," he asked, pulling two of the three condoms out of his pocket and tossing them on the desk. The desk was completely gutted now. Not a single paper remained in it. He had taken all of his school work with him, every single piece of scratch paper.  
  
Now that he was alone, a few lucky tears escaped his eyes and rolled down his cheeks. "Now Dad, this is called a strainer. It's just a bowl with some holes in it. See, we put this in the sink, then pour the spaghetti into the bowl so that it drains out the water!" Vegeta nodded and took the strainer. He put it in the sink, then poured the spaghetti noodles into the strainer. "Great job, Dad!" Trunks said to him as if he were talking to a kindergartener.  
  
Vegeta smiled a little to himself, remembering how they decided to clean the plates after they ate off of them. His smile was quickly washed away in a river of tears that now freely fell down his cheeks and onto his glove. He took it off and set it on Trunks's pillow, then rose from his position on the bed. He looked around the room one more time, then switched off the light. "It's late, son. You should probably get some sleep," he said into the empty room as he closed the door.  
  
He took a moment to regain his composure as he leaned against the bedroom door, rubbing his eyes. Just when he thought he could move on, a whole new rush of depression came over him. He slid his back down the door and he completely lost control over his tears. He sobbed quietly into his hands, never before feeling so alone. The house was completely silent, not filled with sounds of Trunks crashing around in the kitchen, watching TV, or listening to music as he studied.  
  
"He's gone, he's really gone," Vegeta said to himself between sobs. "My son is gone forever and I can't bring him back!" Vegeta ran a wet hand through his hair and took a few deep breaths. "My own flesh and blood. Only four years...it went by too fast and I want them back!" He stood up and walked around the silent house. Vegeta had grown used to always having someone in the house, weather it was Damry or Trunks. The silence scared him. He walked into the kitchen and opened the refrigerator to see if there was any comfort food laying around. He pulled out a small bowl with saran wrap over it and peeked in. It was the leftover ravioli that he and Trunks had made only nights before for dinner. Vegeta made the meat and Trunks rolled out the noodles. He tried to smile at the memory, but could bear it. A tear exploded as it hit the plastic wrap and he put it back into the refrigerator. It seemed like everything around him reminded him of his son.  
  
Damry hadn't seen Vegeta in over three days. She wanted to go to his house, but she was afraid of what she might find. Anyway, Chichi needed her help at home. Goku had developed a slight cough and a pain in his chest, but he made it seem like he was dying. He never got up off of the bed, and the women were waiting on him hand and foot. Piccolo stopped by every now and then, but Damry was in no mood to talk to anyone. Her heart still ached. Everyone's did. Unfortunately, Goku's heart ache had developed into an actual sickness.  
  
On the fourth day after Trunks's departure, Damry finally decided to visit Vegeta. After all, he might really need her, but he was too ashamed to ask for her help. Despite how he felt, Damry needed him. She cried herself to sleep every night, remembering how she and Trunks would talk at the lake, and how he would tell her things that he would never tell anyone else.  
  
Damry put together a small basket of food, knowing Vegeta hadn't gone to the grocery store in days. "I'm leaving," she announced as she walked out the front door, not knowing or caring if anyone had heard her or not. She took off towards Vegeta's house, but flew slower than usual. She was looking foreward to seeing him again, but not without Trunks in the house.  
  
She landed on his doorstep and hesitated before knocking, wondering if she should even be there. She gathered all of the courage she had and knocked softly. No answer. She knocked again, a little harder this time, but still nobody came to the door. She turned the knob slowly and opened the door, peeking her head in. The house was dark. All of the furniture in the den had been pushed to the side and was replaced by training equipment.  
  
"Vegeta?" she called into the empty house. It was completely silent. She wandered into the kitchen, but it was dark and empty. She sighed and placed the basket of food on the kitchen table and turned to walk out. When she exited the kitchen, Vegeta was staring back at her. His eyes were bloodshot, his face unshaven. He wore only some blue work out pants, and sweat droplets beaded on his forehead. "Vegeta, I-I was just looking for you," Damry stuttered nervously.  
  
Vegeta's arms were crossed and he stared at her lovelessly. "Is there something you need?" he asked her shallowly.  
  
"No, Vegeta, I just wanted to check on you! I haven't heard from you in four days, and I got worried!" Damry took a step back, the look in Vegeta's eyes frightening her.  
  
"Well, as you can see, I am fine. I was just doing a bit of training, there's not much time left. I suggest you get back to your family where it's safe," Vegeta ordered. There wasn't a bit of softness in his voice.  
  
Damry's eyes saddened and she slowly approached him. "Vegeta, honey, what are you talking about? There's nothing to train for! Look, why don't we just-"  
  
"Go home, Damry! And don't look back, do you understand me?" Vegeta snapped.  
  
"Would you just tell me what's going on? I need to know what's going through your head, Vegeta!" Damry said, raising her voice a level.  
  
"If I told you, it would only hurt you!" Vegeta replied, louder and angrier than her.  
  
"What, are you seeing another woman? Are you back together with Bulma to get closer to Trunks, is that it? Just tell me, Vegeta! I want to be able to help you! We're all upset about Trunks leaving, Vegeta, but you have got to get out of this house!"  
  
"How dare you assume that I would use a woman to get close to my son? Leave now, Damry! And I am warning you now, don't come back!" Vegeta walked over to the door and opened it for her. Damry shook her head in disgust at him and marched out. Vegeta slammed the door behind her and walked into the kitchen. When he saw the basket, he opened it and sat down at the table. There was a note inside.  
  
Vegeta,  
  
I know this isn't much, but it's all I could manage to sneak away  
  
from Chichi. If there's anything you need, don't hesitate to ask. I'm  
  
here no matter what. I hope you know that. No matter what we go  
  
through, I will always love you. Only the strongest relationships can  
  
get through the toughest of times, and I know that ours can get  
  
through this. I'm always here for you, Vegeta. No matter what.  
  
Always,  
  
Damry  
  
Vegeta tossed the note onto the table and rose quickly from his seat. He ran as fast as he could out the door and took off in the direction that Damry left in. He flew as fast as he could, hoping to catch her before she got home. He saw her walk into the house, and he stopped. He didn't want Goku to see him looking like a complete mess. Later, he thought. I'll talk to her later. Vegeta turned around and headed home to continue his training. Only a week and three days left before Caldera would arrive.  
  
Damry ran straight into her room and slammed the door behind her, falling onto her bed. She refused to cry over him. The only man worth crying over is a man who will never make you cry, she remembered Trunks telling her once. She wished that she could talk to someone, anyone, but especially Trunks. He always had an explination for his father's outrageous actions. She could talk to Piccolo, but he would tell her that Vegeta is a jerk, always was a jerk, and always will be a jerk. That's not what she wanted to hear, but that's what everyone would tell her. So, instead of talking to anyone, Damry just laid on her bed and staired at the ceiling as if it would tell her what to do. Unfortunately, it's only talent was to be a good listener, not advice giver.  
  
Two more days passed before Damry left her room. Chichi tried to get her out of bed, but Damry wouldn't move. She never ate, she never spoke, only slept. Goku had only gotten worse. He had brief episodes where his heart felt as if it were on fire. All Chichi and Gohan could do was comfort him. The sky was overcast, and the clouds had opened up on top of the house. She rolled up the blinds so that she could watch the rain drops make designs on the window. Damry watched the rain drops slide down the glass, catching other droplets as they journied down.  
  
Just then, Vegeta's face moved in front of her window, completely soaked from head to toe. Damry opened the window, letting the rain pour into her room. Vegeta said nothing, only stared at her. Damry didn't know what to make of it. She didn't know if she should be scared or relieved that he had finally come to her. He finally reached up with a dripping wet hand and placed it on her cheek, then pulled her close to him and brushed her lips against his.  
  
Vegeta slowly pulled Damry through the window and held her tightly in his arms, kissing her like he really needed it. Damry's kiss in return was forgiving and understanding. No words needed to be said, because they both knew that all was forgiven. He scooped her up in his arms and flew her back to his house where they could both dry off.  
  
Vegeta lit a fire in the fireplace and handed Damry some coffee. They sat on the floor, seeing as how all the furniture was still up against the wall. They cuddled under a blanket and watched the fire eat away at the wood. "Damry, I have to tell you something that may shock you," Vegeta said softly, not wanting to excite her.  
  
Damry rested her head on his shoulder. "Okay, go ahead," she responded calmly.  
  
"Damry, before Trunks left, he told me that a woman was going to come to Earth. She will be here in a little over a week. Her name is Caldera and she wants to make this planet a home for her people. They have used up all of the resources on their planet and now they want to use ours. She plans on killing everyone here, then moving right in. She will, too, unless we stop her."  
  
Damry's calm face became worried. "But Vegeta, we have to have beaten her, because in the future we all still exist, right? I mean, Trunks is alive, isn't he?"  
  
"Damry, we do end up beating her, but...you do not exist in Trunks's world. She will take your life."  
  
Damry looked down. Now she understood what Trunks had said to her. She couldn't fight. Not if she wanted to live. "Well, I'll just have to be careful! Goku is getting sicker and sicker every day, he can't fight! Piccolo and Krillin-"  
  
"Piccolo and the others aren't strong enough, Damry. You and I are the only ones who would stand a chance. But I won't let you fight, Damry. I can handle her alone."  
  
Damry frowned. "Vegeta, I won't let you risk it like that! I'll help you, I'll just be on my toes the whole time! I'll train extra hard this week. We can train together! After all, how strong can she be? Certainly she can't destroy two super saiyans!"  
  
"Well, she's strong enough to destroy one, we know that much!" Vegeta locked her eyes in his. "Damry, listen. I love you far too much to let you risk your life. I can handle this woman, okay? You just take care of your brother."  
  
Damry cuddled closer to Vegeta. "I'll know when you're in danger, and I'll help you then, okay? Just let me come if you're in trouble..."  
  
Vegeta closed his eyes and rested his head on hers. "Okay, Damry, but don't count on me getting tied up with this woman." He held Damry close to him and they watched the fire crackle, emitting a comforting heat on their faces.  
  
Goku squeezed Damry's hand as she patted his sweating face with a cool, damp towel. He winced in pain, clutching his chest with his other hand. Once the sharp pain stopped, he began breathing normally again and he released Damry's hand. She wiped his face free of sweat, then set the towel down. She rubbed her sore hand, but didn't let him see. His eyes were still closed tight, and Damry could tell he was still in a lot of pain.  
  
Caldera was to arrive that day. Damry was up bright and early, always making sure she could sense Vegeta's power level. He had gotten very strong over the past two weeks. Vegeta had ordered Piccolo to stay with Damry and make sure she never left the house. She sensed Vegeta moving away from her towards another power source as Goku started moaning in pain again. "I'll handle this one," Piccolo said, taking the towel from her, "you go get his medicine." Damry nodded and followed his instructions.  
  
Vegeta approached the lake, the source of the immense power he was sensing. Standing on the edge of the water stood a tall woman with long, flowing black hair and bright blue eyes. She wore a tight blue dress with fishnets and knee-high blue boots. On top of her head, she wore a golden crown with a deep blue diamond in the center, surrounded by red rubies. She turned to him and looked him over, then let out a deep, evil laugh. "Why, hello there! Come to challenge me, have you?"  
  
Vegeta formed his hands into tight fists and narrowed his eyes at her. "Not only have I come here to challenge you, but I have come here to destroy you as well. I know all about your little plan to suck the nutrients from our planet, but you will have to get through me first!"  
  
Caldera laughed again. "That can be arranged," she said evily, forming a blue ball in her fist. Vegeta stood his ground in a ready position as the ball grew bigger and bigger in her hand. She grinned and threw the blue ball straight at Vegeta, but he knocked it away with ease, sending it flying into the water with a huge splash. Caldera just grinned and laughed again. "Oh, I see we are a bit cocky today! Well, I think it's time you just came off of your high horse!" She fired a blast from her finger right at Vegeta's head, but all he had to do was tip his head to the side as it flew past him and into a tree. Caldera put her hands on her hips dominantly. "Who are you?" she asked, but not freafully.  
  
"I am Vegeta, prince of the Saiyans!" Vegeta responded proudly.  
  
"Oh, a saiyan, huh? Well, I'll just have to finish what Freiza couldn't!" Caldera blasted him again, but he dodged it at the last minute. His grin teased and annoyed her. "You're vexing me, Vegeta! Why don't you fight back?"  
  
Vegeta gripped his fists tighter. "Oh, I'm just letting my breakfast digest before I actually have to start trying to defetat you, that's all!" He laughed softly to himself as Caldera growled at him. This will be easy, he said to himself. Her power level is equal to what I had two weeks ago! I will beat her in no time!  
  
"I wouldn't be so sure of myself if I were you," Caldera sneered. Vegeta watched in confusion as a blue light engulfed her. He could hear her low, sinister laugh as her power increased.  
  
Back at the house, Damry and Piccolo both looked up. They could sense Caldera's increasing power, surpassing Vegeta's. "We have to help him!" Damry cried, running to the door.  
  
"No, Damry! Stop!" Piccolo called after her. He caught her arm before she was about to take off. "He's not in trouble yet. He's still strong, and he isn't using all of his power!" Damry nodded and walked back inside with Piccolo to her brother's side.  
  
Vegeta grinned at his new challenge. However, his confidence level had gone down a bit. He fired three ki blasts at Caldera, but she dodged each. They stared at each other, both grinning evily, waiting for the next attack. They were just getting started.  
  
Finally, in a flash of speed, Caldera came flying foot first at Vegeta. Just before it connected with his stomach, Vegeta grabbed her leg and threw her over his shoulder. She was about to hit a tree, but she caught herself just in time. She grinned back at him and sent a blue ki blast at him.  
  
Vegeta dodged it with ease, but he didn't see her standing where she was before. Before he could react, he felt a sharp pain in his back as he went flying straight into a tree. Vegeta stood up and dusted himself off, grimacing at the newly inflicted pain. He refused to let her weaken her power, however.  
  
Caldera put her hands on her hips and laughed at the newly battered Vegeta. Just as she was about to fire another blast, Vegeta disappeared. She spun around quickly, ready to welcome his attack, but he didn't appear. A confused expression spread over her face as she turned back around. Just as she did, Vegeta's fist connected with her cheek. She stumbled back a few steps, only to be struck several more times by Vegeta. He finally knocked her down with a hard kick to the stomach.  
  
Caldera quickly got back onto her feet, growling at Vegeta for letting him knock her to the ground. "You will pay for that, Saiyan!" she snarled, cupping her hands together at the wrists and forming a strong energy ball. Vegeta only sneered in return as she threw the ball at him. He fired a stronger blast at her and the two clashed together, then went barraling towards an astounded Caldera. It connected with her with a huge explosion.  
  
Vegeta let out a sigh when he didn't see Caldera after the dust cleared. Before he let his guard down, however, he sensed her energy somewhere near by. "Come on, Caldera! Come out from hiding or I'll come find you!" he said more to himself than to her. He heard her low laugh surround him, making his eyes dart all around the area, scanning the skyline for her figure.  
  
He didn't sense her right behind him until it was too late. She drove her foot hard into the back of his head. Vegeta went flying into the water with a huge splash. It took him a while to realize what had hit him. I could have sworn I was more powerful than her! She was hiding her true energy level to me! That means she might be stronger yet! I have to think of something fast! Vegeta thought as he sunk to the bottom of the lake.  
  
He shot up and swam to the surface for air, but he had to dodge back under when he saw a ki blast headed straight for his head. Vegeta was quickly running out of air. He raied his head again, but another blast skimmed the water above his head. His body tensed as it searched for reserve oxygen, but when it didn't, it slowly began to panic. Vegeta got an idea that just might work, and he shot a ki blast into the air, then shot out of the water.  
  
His blast didn't intersect with the other blast as he had planned. Instead, Caldera's blast caught him directly in the chest and threw him onto the other side of the lake. Vegeta rolled onto his side, gasping for air. The shot had taken a toll on his energy level and he was still recovering from her last blow. He opened his wincing eyes to stand back up again, ready to take her on.  
  
Caldera was laughing on the other side of the lake, barely scratched. "I'll wipe that grin off of your face, you bitch!" Vegeta snarled. "BIG BANG ATTACK!" he yelled, puting his arms at a 90 degree angle and firing an enormous ki blast at the clueless Caldera.  
  
"NO!" she yelled as the the blast intersected with her. Vegeta watched the huge blast explode against Caldera and grinned to himself, chuckling lowly. The dust settled around her weakened and fallen body. Vegeta watched on with hopeful eyes to see if she moved. Just as his hopes were getting higher, he saw her hand move off of her chest and to the ground, followed by her slowly raising up. She was virtually scratchless. Caldera had blocked his attack, but the force had knocked her small body down. "FOOL!" she screamed back at Vegeta.  
  
Vegeta shook his head in disbelief. He thought he had her. However, she had used up a lot of evergy already at Vegeta's expense. Caldera flew across the lake and landed close to him. "You will pay for that, Saiyan!" she yelled, then pointed her finger at him. A blue ball formed a its tip, then she shot it right at him. Vegeta quickly blocked, but the ball engulfed him. Vegeta was about to fire a ki blast at her, but his hands wouldn't move. He was completely paralyzed by the wave of energy that had surrounded him.  
  
"Vegeta's energy level is way down, we have to help him, Piccolo! Now!" Damry ordered as she ran for the door.  
  
"No, Damry! You can't go out there! You know what will happen if you fight!" Piccolo grabbed both of her arms and restrained her fighting body.  
  
"Piccolo, let me go!" she hollared desperately. "Please, you have to let me go help him! You stay here with Goku, but I have to go! He needs our help! She'll kill him, Piccolo! She'll kill him!"  
  
Piccolo wrapped his arms tightly around her, both to restrain and comfort her. "Shh, Damry. Vegeta can take care of himself. Don't worry about him. I promised him that I wouldn't let you fight, and you promised Trunks. You don't want to break that promise, do you?"  
  
Damry shook her head, wrapping her arms around Piccolo. He held her soothingly as worried tears streamed down her cheeks. A sleeping Goku was awakened violently by another series of sharp pains in his chest. He moaned in agony and Piccolo and Damry rushed to his side. Chichi ran out of the kitchen with his temporary pain medication. Damry and Piccolo restrained him as Chichi poured the thick white liquid down his throat.  
  
Goku coughed and clutched Piccolo's hand as they helped him through the pain, and the pain soon ceased. He released Piccolo's hand as he fell back into an exhausted sleep. Damry's horrified expression turned to worry all over again, both for her sick brother and weakened lover.  
  
Caldera approached the paralyzed Vegeta with a grin. "I've got you right where I want you, Saiyan. Vegeta, was it? Hmm, sounds so familiar. Ah, yes...I believe that planet was destroyed long ago by...Freiza, am I correct? I guess that really does make you the 'prince' of all Saiyans!" Caldera watched his face redden with anger, his blood boiling in his frozen veins. She laughed wickedly and neared her face to his. "I've always had a thing for royalty," she spoke seductively. Vegeta could only watch in horror as she brought her lips to his and kissed him violently. When she pulled away, she left a hand on his chest. "It's a shame I have to destroy a saiyan with royalty in his veins!"  
  
Caldera shot a blast straight into his chest, pushing him backwards. The defenseless Vegeta crashed into a tree and fell to the ground, wincing in agony. Caldera approached him heartlessly and kicked his side repeatedly. She laughed to herself as she pulled him up by his hair, then burried her fist in his stomach. She held him in place and punched him over and over again, then uppercut him and let him fly straight up into the air. Vegeta came crashing back down to the ground with a loud crash.  
  
The paralyzing energy wave had faded off, but Vegeta could still barely move. Caldera grinned in self glory. "You know, Vegeta, with a simple wave of my hand, I could destroy every human on this planet. And then, I'll destroy you! I hope you don't mind. Caldera raised her hand above her head and grinned at the fallen Saiyan.  
  
"That's it, Piccolo! I can't take it any more! Vegeta is dying, I have to get to him! If you try to stop me this time, I'll have to choice but to kick your ass, and you know how I get when I'm mad!" Damry stormed over to the door.  
  
"Yeah, I know how you get!" Piccolo said as he grabbed her wrist.  
  
Damry looked down at the grip he had on her wrist, then swung a quick fist at his face. Piccolo knew what she was going to do from experiance and grabbed her other hand, then twisted it. Damry let out a pained cry and fell to her knees. "You almost twisted my arm off!" she yelled in agony.  
  
"Damry, you need to get your head together. You can't go out there! Caldera will kill you! If she kills Vegeta, then I'll let you go, but only for the sake of the planet!" Piccolo helped her up as he lectured her.  
  
Damry narrowed her eyes at him, and instead of retaliating, she brought her fists down hard on his head, hitting him in just the right spot to knock the Namek out. "Sorry, buddy, but I have to help Vegeta! You understand..." Damry looked over at her sleeping brother and her eyes saddened. "I love you, Goku," she whispered before she took off out the door.  
  
Caldera's arm was still raised far above her head when Vegeta managed to choke out a few words. "You can kill all of the humans on this planet, but four saiyans still live on," he said loud enough to catch her attention. He laughed slightly at the surprised look on the woman's face. "That's right, Caldera! Even if you kill me, your power level is low and they will come after you!"  
  
Caldera laughed. "You're bluffing!" she decided. She looked away from the Saiyan and regained her concentration. "Say goodbye to your precious home, Prince of all Saiyans!" she yelled as she brought her hand down. Before her hand reached her side, Caldera was knocked down by a powerful force in her side.  
  
"I think you need to pick another planet to steal, you bitch!" Damry ordered through clenched teeth. She fired a series of ki blasts at the fallen woman, kicking up a cloud of dust around her. "KAMEHAMEHA!" she yelled, throwing a ball of energy into her. She fired a few more blasts for good measure and panted, waiting for the dust to settle.  
  
Vegeta had managed to prop himself up against a tree, summing up the rest of his energy. Damry narrowed her eyes, trying to make out her body to see if she had defeated her or not. Unfortunately, Damry's sharp eyes were unable to see the enormous ki blast that caught her right in the chest. Vegeta's eyes widened as he saw light peek through the other side of Damry, shooting straight through her.  
  
It wasn't until Damry fell to the ground that Vegeta realized the screaming he heard was his own. That was the only push he needed to jump to his feet. Before he could run to Damry's side, he heard the same sinister laugh that had taunted him all day. He turned to the weakened woman in desperate fury. "FINAL FLASH!" he screamed in rage, firing the killing blow to the still laughing woman. The blast exploded as soon as it hit Caldera, tearing her apart. Vegeta panted as he felt her energy disappear from the air around him.  
  
Without hesitating for a moment, Vegeta ran to Damry's side and held her gently in his arms. Damry's clothing had been completely singed around the hole in her stomach, and he could feel the wetness of blood on his hands when he touched her back. Damry managed to open her eyes just enough to make out the face of Vegeta hovering above her. Her breathing was shallow and irregular and her body shook in Vegeta's arms.  
  
"Did we get her?" Damry choked out.  
  
"Yeah, we got her, sweetheart. You were amazing!" Damry coughed softly, not having the energy to clear the rest of the blood from her throat. Her eyes slowly began to close. "Damry, hold on," Vegeta pleaded. "Just hold on, I'll get you home, okay? Just stay with me, Damry, please!" Vegeta began to pick her up, but Damry stopped him.  
  
"No, Vegeta, please," she cried, making Vegeta's eyes turn even sadder. "It hurts so bad," she sobbed. "I'm so sorry, Vegeta. I'm so sorry..." Her body began to fall limp in his arms.  
  
"Damry, please! Just hold on! We'll fix this, okay? Damry, don't leave me! I love you, Damry, I love you!" Tears streamed down his cheek and fell onto Damry, mixing with her own tears.  
  
She slowly lifted up a hand with her remaining strength and brushed his cheek, then let her hand fall back onto her chest. "I love you too, Vegeta...promise me-" she stopped to cough, gasping for the air that wasn't reaching her blood, "promise me that you won't let Goku die..." she managed to sputter out.  
  
"Damry, don't talk like that! You're coming home with me, you'll see your brother get better with me!" Vegeta's voice shook, unable to fight its way through his sobs.  
  
"Promise me, Vegeta!" she ordered, somehow able to still have sternness in her tone.  
  
Vegeta nodded sadly. "I promise, Damry," he wispered, only wanting to comfort her at this point.  
  
"And Vegeta, go see your son. He'll want to meet you..." Vegeta pulled her up to him and brought his lips to hers, kissing her desperately. Damry coughed once again and she took one last look at Vegeta's face as she slowly closed her eyes. "I love you, Vegeta," she said with her last breath.  
  
Vegeta felt Damry's body fall lifelessly in his arms, her muscles relaxing and her breathing stopping. Vegeta brought her up to his chest and held her tightly, rocking her back and forth as he sobbed into her hair. "No, Damry, no! I love you, Damry! Come back, come back!" he pleaded to her frail and helpless body. She was just a shell now, her soul had been drained from its covering. "Come back," he whispered once more as he pressed his trembling lips to hers one last time.  
  
Vegeta kicked open the door to Goku's house and mournfully walked in. Tears still streaked his face as he held the lifeless form of Damry in his arms. Blood coated his hands and arms and still dripped from Damry's back onto the floor. Piccolo was just recovering from Damry's blow and Chichi was nursing the recovering Goku. Vegeta set Damry down on the floor in the middle of the room.  
  
Chichi's hands flew to her mouth when she saw that Damry wasn't breathing. She shook her head violently as tears streamed down her cheeks. Piccolo's eyes saddened and he kneeled beside his fallen best friend. He touched her cold cheek and brushed it softly. "You were so strong, Damry," he whispered, his normally powerful voice choked back. "Now you can finally be free." Piccolo bent down and kissed her forehead, then brushed the hair out of her face. Piccolo rose and walked outside, unable to see his best friend in such a weakened condition.  
  
Goku's eyes slowly opened. The medacine was finally working and the pain in his chest had diminished. He moaned slightly as he sat up, looking around for Damry or Chichi. When his eyes finally rested on Damry, the breath caught in his chest. Vegeta was leaning against the wall beside her with his face burried in his hands. Goku slowly stood up, ignoring the pain returning to his chest. He stubled over to where his sister lay and kneeled beside her, taking her in his arms. He searched her face for any kind of life, but found none.  
  
"Damry," he whispered soflty, "wake up! Wake up, Damry!" He shook her softly, but Damry's eyes didn't move. His vision was blurred by tears, but he couldn't accept the fact that his sister wasn't going to wake up ever again. "Where did you go, Damry? You have to wake up! Look, I'm feeling much better now! You and I can go to the lake tomorrow with the whole gang, just like old times! Come on, Damry! We can't go fishing until you wake up!"  
  
Vegeta couldn't take it any more. He pulled his hands away from his face and narrowed his tearing eyes at Goku. "Quiet, Goku! Can't you see? She's not going to wake up every again! She'll never fish with us again, she'll never laugh again, she'll never be there ever again!" Vegeta's tone turned from angry to torn in a matter of seconds. "She's dead, Goku!" he explained to the horrified saiyan.  
  
Goku looked down at the body in his arms, finally feeling the wetness of blood on her back. Tears rolled down his cheeks and soaked into Damry's torn clothes as he stared at his sister's once glowing face. Now it was pale and cold and lifeless. "Your eyes used to smile whenever you talked, Damry," he said between sobs. "Your eyes used to smile! And I'll never see them smile again! Where did you go?" Goku pulled Damry's body tightly to his and let his tears stream onto her shoulder. "Where did you go?" he repeated until his sobs wouldn't allow him to say anything more.  
  
Goku placed a rose on the freshly piled earth that covered his sister. A slight breeze tugged at his hair as it rippled through the water of the lake. Goku sighed and ran his hand through his hair, never taking his eyes off of the mound of dirt. "I know you'll like it here, Damry. It was your favorite fishing spot. All the good ones were always over here, just waiting for you to catch them. I don't think it'll quite be the same now that you won't be casting your line in there. I don't think anything will ever be the same, actually. You know, Damry, you never said goodbye to me. You just left. You walked right out and saved the world without so much as a goodbye. I don't know weather to be proud or angry at you for being so brave. Well, I know that I will always be proud of you, but..."  
  
Goku looked away to regain his composure, knowing that if he started crying again, he wouldn't be able to stop. "You promised Trunks you wouldn't fight, Damry. You promised him. You also promised Vegeta that you'd love him forever. But the biggest promise you broke was that promise you made to me when we were sitting right here not too long ago. Remember what you said, Damry? You promised that you would never leave me! No matter where you lived, no matter what you said, you would never leave me! Well where are you now, Damry? Where did you go? You were stolen away from me, and you're never coming back!"  
  
Goku wiped his eyes and took a few deep breaths, then continued, softening his voice. "You're my sister, Damry, and you always will be my sister. It's not fair that you had such a short life. It's not fair that I didn't get to say everything I wanted to say to you. You're beautiful, Damry. I always wanted to tell you that. I also wanted to tell you that...that you're the strongest person I know. And that I have always been so proud to be your brother." Goku tried to still his voice, but it still shook.  
  
He frowned harshly and turned to the lake. "YOU PROMISED ME YOU'D NEVER LEAVE, DAMRY! YOU PROMISED ME YOU'D NEVER LEAVE!" Goku fell to his knees and sobbed into his hands.  
  
"Oh, Goku, get a grip!" a cheerful femanine voice said to the crying saiyan. His head popped up, his tears stopping at the sound of the voice. "I promised you that I'd never you, and I didn't!" the voice continued.  
  
Goku stood up and looked around, desperately looking for the origin of the voice. "Damry?" he called into the sky, not seeing anyone. Just then, he saw her soft face appear in a cloud above him, but it had no reflection in the lake.  
  
"Remember what I said, Goku. I promised you that no matter how far away I went, I would always be with you in your heart. So as long as you keep me in your heart, then a piece of me will always live...within you!" Damry smiled softly at her broken brother as he tried desperately to wipe away all his tears.  
  
"But Damry, I don't want just a small piece of you, I want all of you! I need you here with me, Damry! You're my sister!" he pleaded, never taking his eyes off of the cloud.  
  
"Goku, you and I know that that can't happen. My body is gone, but my spirit lives on! I'll check in on you from time to time, don't worry. And hey, I hope you're not feeling sorry for me down there because King Kai and I are having a blast up here! I just wish I had some makeup up here, I'm going nuts!" Goku smiled and laughed a little, feeling much more reassured now that he knew his sister was okay. "Hey, Goku, I gotta run. Listen, take care of Chichi and Gohan, and give my love to the rest of the gang. I love you, Goku!"  
  
"I love you too, Damry!" Goku said up into the cloud as his sister's face slowly faded. Soon, all was quiet again and Goku's eyes rested on Damry's deep bed. He smiled softly at it and slowly walked away with a new confidence that he had never had before. Damry was right. No matter how far away from him she was, she would always live on. Goku would cherish every memory he had of his sister in his heart and keep her alive forever. "This isn't goodbye," he said to himself, taking one last look at the grave, "just see ya later!" Goku smiled into the wind and took off towards home.  
  
It was days before Vegeta had the courage to go back to the lake. It was no longer the lake it had been only days before. Now it was a deserted wasteland. The animals hadn't returned, and some trees were still fallen from the battle. Vegeta kneeled beside the grave, stroking the upturned earth softly with one hand. He wore black pants and a black collared shirt with a leather jacket over it. He hadn't shaved or slept in a few days, so his face was rough and worn looking. Vegeta leaned against the tree she was buried in front of and sighed.  
  
"I'm pretty lonely, Damry," he whispered. "I know you can't hear me, but I could always talk to you about anything, and that's one thing that I never want to change." Vegeta crossed his arms and streached his legs out in front of him, resting his right on his left. "I guess you know already, but Goku is doing much better. Piccolo hasn't been around in a few days, but then, neither have I. Gohan starts school in a couple weeks. Chichi's letting him play football! He'll slaughter all those kids. He says he wishes he could look up and see you cheering for him in the stands. I'll keep you posted, though."  
  
For a while, Vegeta just closed his eyes and let the wind comb his hair. He breathed deeply, letting the fresh air replace the stale air that was eating away at his lungs. "Damry..." he sighed, trying to collect his thoughts. When he opened his eyes, they were red and bloodshot, but not watery. They had been tearing for three days straight, and he was all cried out. Vegeta reached into the pocket of his jacket and pulled out a small black box. He admired it in his hands, then opened it. The light reflecting off of the diamond ring inside danced across his face.  
  
After staring at the ring for a long time, he closed the box and clutched it in his fist. "I was going to give this to you after we killed Caldera. Heh, I guess I assumed too much. I was naive to think that someone like me could ever end up with someone like you. But the thought that keeps me up all night is...'Why not me?' I mean, you were so pleasant and everyone loved you. I was shallow and hateful. You don't deserve this. I wanted to spend the rest of my life with you, Damry. I want to fall asleep with you by my side, and I want to wake up to see you resting in my arms!"  
  
Vegeta set the small box down in the center of her grave, right next to Goku's wilted rose. He stood up slowly and put his hands in his pockets, and turned to walk away. Just as he turned his back, the wind began picking up around him, causing him to turn around to see what was causing all the commotion. He saw a small funnel of wind above the water before him, then a blast of light. When the dust settled, Damry stood floating on the water in black pants and a white shirt. She was smiling peacefully and the wind pulled at her hair. All of the scars that once covered her body had disappeared. Vegeta blinked a couple times to see if she was real, and she still hovered above the water. Only, Vegeta could see straight through her.  
  
"Hello, Vegeta," she said softly, not wanting to startle him. Her voice sent chills up his spine, making his fingertips tingle. "You know, you're wrong about one thing. I can and always will hear you."  
  
Vegeta took a few deep breaths to steady his racing heart. He wanted to run out onto the water and take her in his arms, but he knew better. Instead, he just admired her from afar with saddened eyes. He had gone over and over all the things he wanted to say to her if he ever got the chance, but he couldn't grasp anything. "Damry, I...I miss you. I need you. There has to be some way I can be with you!"  
  
"Well Vegeta," she explained sympathetically, "there is one way!" Vegeta's eyes brightened, waiting for her to reveal to him what she had in mind. "Never forget me, Vegeta. As long as you keep me alive within you, we'll never be apart."  
  
Vegeta wanted to look down, but he couldn't take his eyes off of her. He had never seen anything more beautiful in his entire life. He was hoping Damry had some way to ressurect her body. Her response didn't much appeal to him, but he knew that it was the only reasonable thing to do. "I know, Damry, I know," he whispered, not knowing what else to say.  
  
"And Vegeta, the real reason I came to talk to you is because I want to make something clear." Damry waited until she knew she had Vegeta's complete attention and she floated a few feet closer to him. "Vegeta, I want you to move on. I don't want you to forget me, but at the same time, I want you to love again. Promise me right now that you will fall in love again, Vegeta."  
  
Vegeta's face dropped in sadness, along with his heart. He shook his head in denial. "No, Damry! I could never love anyone like I love you! You can't ask me to make a promise like that!"  
  
Damry moved a few feet closer, still above the water. "Vegeta," she said softly and calmy, "if you love me, then you'll let me go! The only point to life is to love and to be loved in return! You can't live the rest of your life alone, Vegeta, you just can't! Now promise me!"  
  
Vegeta's face was painted with depression. After thinking about her proposition for a while, he swallowed hard. "I promise, Damry," he said dryly.  
  
Damry smiled softly. "Good. Now I have to go, Vegeta."  
  
"What? No!" he pleaded. "Damry, you just got here! Please, stay! I need you, Damry! I can't live without you! Please!"  
  
"Vegeta, I love you more than anything. Remember that. But I have to go now. I'll drop in to check on you every now and then to make sure you're keeping your promise." Damry looked up into the clouds as they opened up, emitting a spotlight on her.  
  
"Damry, no! I love you, Damry! I love you more than life itself!"  
  
"Goodbye, Vegeta," she whispered. Vegeta's eyes widened and he flew towards her desperately, but the second his body reached her, she was gone. Vegeta floated back to the shore in defeat.  
  
"Goodbye, my love," he whispered in return. Vegeta's hands returned to his pockets.  
  
"Oh, and Vegeta," a soft voice said from the sky. He looked up, not seeing her, but knowing she was there. "I would have said yes," it finished. Vegeta smiled softly and turned back around and began walking home.  
  
Epilogue  
  
Vegeta gathered all of his courage before finally bringing his fist to the door of Capsule Corp. It wasn't long before it opened a crack, then all the way when the person on the other side saw who it was. "Come in," she said shallowly. Vegeta did as instructed and she led him to a small room with a few chairs and a TV. She told him to sit down, which he did. "Coffee?" she asked with frusturation in her tone. Vegeta just shook her head. She shrugged and sat down on the other side of the room from him, crossing her legs and brushing some blue hair out of her face.  
  
"You look good, Bulma," Vegeta finally said, trying to sound like he meant it.  
  
"I wish I could say the same about you, Vegeta, but you look like hell!" she exclaimed without a hint of sarcasm in her voice.  
  
Vegeta rolled his eyes and crossed his arms. "Well, I've been through hell. You know that, you talk to Goku."  
  
"Yeah, I talk to Goku!" Her voice softened a little before she continued. "He told me everything. It's terrible what happened. Damry was a wonderful woman."  
  
Vegeta nodded and lowered his head. An air of uncomfortable silence fell upon them, which Vegeta eagerly broke. "So, where is he?" he mumbled, his head still lowered.  
  
Before Bulma could respond, the door flew open. A small boy with pale purple hair ran through the door. He was panting and smiling as he ran into his mother's open arms. He dropped his backpack on the floor and made himself comfortable in her lap. "Mommy, Mommy! Look what I painted at school today!" he exclaimed excitedly, pulling a giant picture out of his backpack. It was a painting of what looked like a big brown blob with eyes.  
  
"That's fantastic, Trunks! I have a special place on the refrigorator for this one!" Bulma told him, grinning proudly.  
  
"Mommy, can I go play soccer with my friends at the park? They really need my help 'cause these big second graders are trying to steal the field and it's our turn to play!" Trunks jumped off of her lap, ready to dart out the door again.  
  
Bulma looked up at Vegeta, then back to her son. "Trunks, sweetheart, why don't you stay for a while? There's someone I want you to meet!"  
  
Vegeta had been watching the whole time with glassy eyes and a slight smile on his face. Trunks was much smaller than he had been used to, but he was ready to make the adjustment. Trunks made a sad face and whined. "But Mom, they really need my help!"  
  
"Trunks, honey, I really think you'd like to meet this man." She pulled Trunks back onto her lap and faced Vegeta. "Trunks, I would like you to meet your father," she said softly into his ear.  
  
Trunks's face was still in a frown, but his eyes were curious. He slid off of his mother's lap and slowly approached the nervous Vegeta. "Did you have fun on your vacation, Daddy?" he asked, seemingly unfazed.  
  
Vegeta darted a look at Bulma who was giving him a stern look. He played along. "Yes, Trunks, I had a great time."  
  
Trunks only stared at him, and Vegeta didn't know what to say. Bulma came up with a quick idea. "Vegeta, why don't you take Trunks out for some ice cream?" she proposed.  
  
"Yeah! Let's go get some ice cream, Daddy!" Trunks said, jumping with excitement.  
  
Vegeta gave in to his son's bright eyes and smiled softly at him. "Okay, sure!" he agreed.  
  
"Have him back by 8:00, Vegeta! And try not to spoil his supper too terribly!" Bulma shouted after them as they headed out the door.  
  
"Okay, okay," he said, closing the door behind him. Once they started walking away, he grew uncomfortable again. Even though he had known his son for four years already, he had no idea how to act around someone that small. He had been around Gohan when he was Trunks's age, but he didn't care if he corrupted Goku's son. "So," he said, clearing his throat, "do you like school, Trunks?"  
  
Trunks nodded and grinned. "Teacher says that I'm the best mixer in the class!"  
  
"Mixer?" Vegeta asked, not knowing what his son was talking about.  
  
"Yeah! I mix the paints and the waters and the sands and the shells..." he said, going down a list of everything anyone could possibly mix.  
  
Vegeta laughed a little, thinking about how much his son would grow to detest Chemestry. "Well, that's great, son! I'm proud of you!"  
  
Trunks looked up at his father's smile and mirrored it. As they approached the small ice cream store, Trunks reached up and took his father's hand in his much smaller one. Vegeta shot a surprised look at him, but Trunks was just grinning at the sight of all the flavors he had to choose from. The smile on Vegeta's face lifted back and he lifted his son up to get a better look at all the ice cream. 


End file.
